India braces for driest August since 1901 amid intensifying El Nino
driest August since 1901 which, senior meteorologists say, is a clear result of intensifying El Nino conditions. Also, the monsoon this year may end up being the driest since 2015, which recorded a rainfall deficit of 13 per cent, they said.
With a 32 per cent precipitation deficit in August so far and the prediction of only subdued rainfall activity over a large part of the country in the next three days, India is on track to record the driest August since 1901, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said, requesting anonymity.
August receives 254.9 mm of rainfall, accounting for around 30 per cent of the precipitation during the monsoon season.
India recorded a rainfall deficit of 25 per cent in August 2005, 24.6 per cent in 1965; 24.4 per cent in 1920; 24.1 per cent in 2009 and 24 per cent deficit in 1913, according to the IMD data.
IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said the primary reason for below-normal rainfall in August was El Nino — the warming of waters in the Pacific Ocean near South America — besides the «unfavourable phase of the Madden Julian Oscillation (MJO) which is known to reduce convection in the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea».
El Nino is generally associated with the weakening monsoon winds and dry weather in India.
The MJO is a large-scale intraseasonal atmospheric disturbance originating in tropical Africa and travelling eastwards.
It is like a pulse or wave lasting about 30 to 60 days.
During the active phase of the MJO, the atmosphere becomes more favourable for rainfall. This leads to increased cloud cover, stronger winds, and enhanced convective activity, resulting in heavier rainfall over the Indian subcontinent.
«The favourable phase of MJO results in rainfall even if there is no
