Amid intensifying El Nino and absent MJO, India braces for driest August since 1901
Usually, August accounts for around 30 per cent of the precipitation during the monsoon season.
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NEW DELHI: India is poised to experience the driest August since 1901 which, senior meteorologists say, is a clear result of intensifying El Nino conditions. Also, the monsoon may end up being the driest since 2015, which recorded a rainfall deficit of 13 per cent. With a 32 per cent precipitation deficit in August so far and the prediction of only subdued rainfall 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.
Usually, August accounts for around 30 per cent of the precipitation during the monsoon season.
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, which is generally associated with the weakening monsoon winds and dry weather in India - 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”.
During the active phase of the MJO, the atmosphere becomes more favourable for rainfall, leading to increased cloud cover, stronger winds, and enhanced convective activity, resulting in heavier rainfall.