Driest September in Delhi in 16 years: IMD

NEW DELHI: Delhi recorded less than 21 mm rainfall in September, the lowest for the month in 16 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting centre, said Delhi has already recorded the last rainfall of the monsoon season and any precipitation is unlikely now.

The Safdarjung Observatory, which provides representative data for the city, has recorded just 20.9 mm rainfall against the normal of 109.3 mm this month “ a deficiency of 81 per cent, according to IMD data.

The last time the weather station recorded any rainfall (1.3 mm) was on September 8.

According to IMD, the national capital recorded only three rainy days this September, the lowest since 2016, when it witnessed just two rainy days.

Rainfall recorded in September last year was 74 mm. It was 237.8 mm in 2018 and 158.5 mm in 2017. The city gauged 75 mm rainfall in September 2016 and 21.8 mm in 2015.

Before this year, the lowest September rainfall was recorded in 2004 (3 mm). Delhi received just 1.6 mm precipitation in September 1994, according to the IMD data.

Interestingly, the national capital had gauged 237 mm rainfall in August this year, the highest for the month in seven years.

Overall, the city has recorded 576.5 mm rainfall against the usual of 633.1 mm since June 1, when the monsoon season started -- a deficiency of 9 per cent.

The monsoon is likely to start withdrawing from Rajasthan on September 26-27. Thereafter, it will recede from Delhi, Haryana, west Uttar Pradesh simultaneously by September last week, Srivastava said.

The weather system had reached Delhi on June 25, two days earlier than normal.