Telangana Faces Sharp Rainfall Deficit in North-East Monsoon So Far

Telangana Faces Sharp Rainfall Deficit in North-East Monsoon So Far

Hyderabad and several other districts in Telangana have recorded a severe rainfall shortfall during the current North-East monsoon season. The deficit has become especially pronounced in October.

The state has received only 3.5 mm of rain in the first 21 days of the month. This stands against a normal of 75.6 mm for the period. As a result, Telangana is running a 95 per cent rainfall deficit so far. Officials link the shortfall partly to the possible influence of El Niño.

October is typically one of the wetter months in the state. However, the sharp drop this year has raised concerns about weather conditions for the rest of the month.

Hyderabad recorded just 2.8 mm of rainfall between October 1 and 21. The city’s normal for the full month is around 114 mm. This puts the deficit at about 97 per cent. For context, Hyderabad received 400.7 mm in October 2020. In contrast, it recorded only 37.1 mm in October 2016.

Meanwhile, twelve districts received no rainfall at all during the first 21 days of October. These include Hanumakonda, Jayashankar Bhupalpally, Jagtial, Karimnagar, Medchal-Malkajgiri, Mancherial, Medak, Nizamabad, Peddapalli, Rajanna Sircilla, Sangareddy, and Siddipet. Several other districts also saw extremely low rainfall compared with their normal levels.

Wanaparthy recorded the highest rainfall among all districts during the period. It received 17.7 mm. Even so, this was 78 per cent below its normal of 82.1 mm. Khammam recorded 13.8 mm against a normal of 94.6 mm. Yadadri-Bhuvanagiri received 13 mm compared with its normal of 84.6 mm.

The ongoing deficit is linked to El Niño. This refers to the abnormal warming of surface waters in the eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. Sea temperatures can rise several degrees Celsius above normal during such events. As a result, atmospheric circulation shifts. These changes disrupt usual rainfall patterns in different parts of the world. Some regions dry out while others receive more rain than normal. The strength and duration of an El Niño event determine how widely it affects agriculture, water supplies, and weather-dependent activities.