Slightly above-normal rainfall in Punjab; Haryana, Himachal soak in surplus

The monsoon rainfall in Punjab is just a notch above the long period average, although the seasonal rain has been noticeably above normal in Haryana and Himachal.

In the month of July so far, the rainfall in Punjab has been above the long period average by 4 per cent, while the overall seasonal rain has been 2 per cent above normal. In contrast, the seasonal rain has been above normal by 38 per cent in Haryana and 21 per cent in Himachal Pradesh.

From July 1 to 14, Punjab received 106.2 mm rainfall compared to the normal of 101.9 mm. The precipitation from June 1 to July 14 stood at 126.2 mm against the normal of 123.3 mm, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Of the 23 districts in the state, Amritsar, Tarn Taran, Ferozepur, Faridkot, Ludhiana and Mansa have received excess rainfall, with the surplus ranging from 25 per cent to 166 per cent.

Kapurthala received the least rainfall this season, where the deficiency has been 69 per cent, followed by SAS Nagar (51 per cent) and Muktsar (46 per cent). Hoshiarpur, Jalandhar, Sangrur and Nawanshahar are also experiencing rain deficit.

Rainfall in the remaining 10 districts has been normal, with the precipitation being a few notches above or below the long period average. Deviation up to 20 per cent on either side is categorised as normal.

Over the past 24 hours, light to moderate rain occurred at various places in the state, while thunderstorms were reported at isolated places. Rain was above long period average in Fazilka, Patiala, Bathinda and Mukutsar districts, while Kapurthala, Barnala and Fatehgarh Sahib remained dry.

Punjab