Nagaland records 219% excess rainfall this year

Eastern Mirror Desk Dimapur, March 8: With signs of pre-monsoon rain arriving in every parts of the country, Northeast India was mentioned to be the only pocket which has witnessed excess pre-monsoon rains so far. While Northwest India is deficient by 5% and 49% deficiency in South India, Nagaland recorded an excess of 219% rainfall while its neighbour Assam recorded 115% excess. Meghalaya is the only state in the Northeast India witnessing a deficiency of 52%. An update from the Skymet weather report on Friday stated that the rains during the first half of March was on account of Western Disturbances which travel from west to east and also the humid winds from the Bay of Bengal which blow over the region. Rain and thundershower activities in Northeast India since March 2 are on the move and expected to continue for another 24 hours. The western part of Northeast India would be more prone to these rains. Places like Jorhat, Tinsukia, Lakhimpur, Tawang, Itanagar, Pasighat, Kohima, Aizawl and Imphal would experience ‘some decent rains’, according to the update. After 24 hours, rains will start receding and become confined to Arunachal Pradesh. Post this wet spell, a break of four to five days would be seen, it predicted. The day temperatures over many places of Northeast India are in mid 20s and as the rains stop, the temperatures will settle in high 20s. Minimums will record in double digits, according to the update. Northeast India and the Western Ghats are the major contributors to monsoon rains in India. During post monsoon season, all pockets of Northeast India remained deficient by over 50%. In winters as well, a similar pattern was observed wherein rains were dismal. The state of Tripura was the only pocket which was excess by 8%. Rest all regions remained deficient, with Manipur leading the states by a deficiency of 69%. The pre-monsoon season commences from March. For the state of Northeast India, it is a transition period, wherein wintry conditions are still prevalent during the first half of March and by the second half of the month, pre-monsoon picks up pace. The day temperatures during this time reach 30°C, which is very uncomfortable due to humidity levels.