Aug brings heavy but uneven rainfall; more showers in Sep

Panaji: Aug turned out to be a dramatic month for Goa’s monsoon season, surprising many after a relatively underwhelming July. The state recorded one of its wettest days of the season, pushing the seasonal rainfall total to 2,878.5mm (113 inches) by the end of the month.While Aug was generous in volume, weather experts caution that the distribution of rain was far from ideal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has already forecast that the showers will continue into Sep, with a yellow alert issued for heavy rainfall in isolated areas from Sep 1 to 6.Data from the month shows how rainfall was unevenly spread across Goa. Southern talukas like Sanguem (1,155.3mm), Dharbandora (1,044.6mm), and Quepem (1,035.5mm) were among the wettest.

In contrast, coastal stations such as Dabolim (621.6mm), Mormugao (678.8mm), and even Panaji (691.7mm) recorded relatively lower figures.Meteorologist and retired NIO Goa scientist, Ramesh Kumar, pointed out that the real concern is not just how much it rained, but how it rained. “Most of the rainfall occurred in just a few days, while the rest of the month saw weak monsoon conditions or even breaks in rainfall. This is not good for agriculture, drinking water storage, or hydroelectric power generation,” he said.

In comparison, July provided steadier and more evenly spread rainfall across the state. “July had equitable distribution both spatially and temporally,” Kumar said.The presence of four low-pressure depressions that month kept the monsoon active and balanced, whereas Aug had only one depression on Aug 18 and 19.Other synoptic factors, such as the strength of the low-level jet stream, the position of the monsoon trough, and the offshore trough stretching from Kerala to Mumbai, also contributed to Aug’s erratic pattern.