Number Theory: Surplus but skewed rains mark southwest monsoon

India received 575mm rain up to August 8 this monsoon. This is 12.1% more than the average for the period during 1971-2020, considered the Long Period Average

More than half of the southwest monsoon season – which runs from June to September – is over. How has the rainfall been so far this monsoon? The gridded database of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that cumulative rain now has a big surplus at the countrywide level. However, the spatial and temporal distribution of rain is so skewed that this country-level trend has little meaning.

India received 575mm rain up to August 8 this monsoon