India’s count of extremely heavy rainfall events during July this year was more than double that during July five years ago, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday, providing a climatological perspective on the July rain and predicting normal rainfall in August. Last year, 205 stations had recorded extremely heavy rain. Climate scientists say the observed rise in extreme rainfall events is in line with forecasts of an increase in the frequency of extreme events under global warming. The monsoon rain accounts for about 75 per cent of the country’s annual rainfall and is critical for its agriculture, economy, and water resources. Mumbai, Pune, Surat, Panjim and Kerala are among the sites that experienced extremely heavy rain events last month.

Source: The Telegraph August 02, 2024 07:21 UTC