The IMD website shows normal rainfall from October 1-19 which is 192.7 mm but the actual rainfall for this month is 453.5 mm.
Kochi:
As Kerala gears up for another rain from October 20, data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that the southern state has received 135 per cent more rainfall during the period from October 1 to 19.
During heavy rains on October 16 when the IMD issued a red alert indicating extremely heavy rainfall, several incidents of landslides and other rain-related accidents were reported from the south-central districts of Kerala, resulting in at least 24 deaths. .
The weather rainfall data on the IMD website shows that the normal rainfall for the period 1 to 19 October was 192.7 mm while the actual rainfall was 453.5 mm.
The website says there is a “big excess departure” of 135 percent.
“During October-December, through the north-east monsoon, the state receives an average rainfall of 491.6 mm, which is 16.8 per cent of the annual rainfall. This year, the state has received 453.5 mm of rainfall during October 1-19 Normal 192.7 mm. This means that the state has already received more than 90 per cent of this season’s rainfall,” a senior IMD official told news agency PTI.
Barring Thrissur and Alappuzha, all other districts have received more than 100 per cent rainfall. While Kozhikode saw the highest increase (223 per cent), Alappuzha saw the lowest increase (66 per cent) in rainfall.
The official said the recent heavy rains in the state indicate the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon which usually ends by September 30.
Kerala has received more rain due to the low pressure areas that developed along the Lakshadweep coast in the southeast region of Arabian Sea and southeast parts of Bay of Bengal.
After a relative respite of two days, the IMD today issued an orange alert for 11 districts of Kerala, indicating heavy rains on Wednesday.
The IMD had on October 20 issued an alert for Thiruvananthapuram, Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, Ernakulam, Idukki, Thrissur, Palakkad, Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad and Kannur districts.
Meteorologists have also put 12 districts on orange alert on Thursday.
It has been issued for all districts except Kannur and Kasaragod on October 21.
(Except for the title, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
.