The cumulative seasonal rainfall in Uttarakhand till July 23 has been 11 per cent short of normal this year. Between June 1 and July 23, the state received 409.7 mm of rainfall which was 49.9 mm or 11 per cent less than the normal amount of rainfall for that period- 459.1 mm. Rains within the range of +19 percent to -19 per cent are considered normal, said Uttarakhand Meteorological Centre director Anand Sharma.
The spell of increased rains for the last many days has brought cheer to the agriculture and horticulture sector in the state. The rain deficit caused by hitherto weak current of monsoon a week ago has been wiped out now. The soil is saturated everywhere and overall moisture content has become sufficient now, which will give a boost to agriculture, he added.
Sharma further said that significantly, the distribution of monsoon so far has been quite uneven across the State this year. While some districts have received rains in excess, some are still reeling under substantial rain deficit. Six out of 13 districts of Uttarakhand received more than normal rainfall with Nainital of Kumaon division topping the chart at 797.2 mm which is 31 per cent more than the normal amount (563.5 mm). Haridwar stands second in this list with 413.6 mm that is 28 per cent more than normal (323.3 mm) while Bageshwar stands third with 26 per cent more than normal rainfall followed by Almora with 15 per cent excess, Champawat with 4 per cent excess and Chamoli with 3 per cent excess. The cumulative seasonal rainfall in Pauri till July 23 has been 37 per cent short of the normal quantity followed by Dehradun with 32 per cent less, Pithoragarh with 30 per cent less, Rudraprayag with 25 per cent less, Uttarkashi and Udham Singh Nagar each with 11 per cent less than normal, he added.
The Met office has forecast light to moderate rain at isolated places in the state on Thursday. light to moderate rainfall was received at various places in Dehradun district on Wednesday. The State received light to moderate rainfall at various places on Wednesday. By 8.30 am on Wednesday, 50 mm rainfall was recorded in Dehradun, 25.6 mm in Pantnagar, 15.4 mm in Mukteshwar, 3.8 mm in Tehri, 38.4 mm in Uttarkashi, 38 mm in Dunda, 9 mm in Pithoragarh, 11 mm in lansdowne, 17 mm in Chamoli, 24.6 mm in Almora, 62 mm in Kausani, 7.4 mm in Ranikhet and 6 mm in Nainital.
Sharma said that the maximum and minimum temperatures were recorded at 28°C and 23°C respectively in Dehradun on Wednesday. The weather forecast for Dehradun on Thursday is cloudy sky and one or two spells of moderate rain/ thunder storm at isolated places in the district. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 29°C and 23°C respectively on Thursday in Dehradun. The weather forecast for Uttarakhand on Thursday is generally cloudy to cloudy sky and light to moderate rain/thunder storm at many places in the state, he added.