Even as we enter into the second half of October, South India still awaits Northeast Monsoon. The southern peninsular region has witnessed sporadic rains along the coastal parts of Tamil Nadu and Andhra Pradesh in last few days but the region is yet to receive widespread rainfall, which marks the onset of Northeast Monsoon.
Nellore in Andhra Pradesh has recorded 31 mm of rainfall so far during the month against the October average of 250 mm. Similarly, Chennai has observed 21 mm of rain till now against the normal of 279 mm.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, unlike the Southwest Monsoon, Northeast Monsoon does not have any specific date of commencement. Its normal onset date is around October 20 with ± 7 days. Thus, delay in its arrival does not indicate that the monsoon is under performer this year.
Tamil Nadu, Rayalseema, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Kerala and South Interior Karnataka are the regions that receive maximum amount of rain during the Northeast Monsoon..
Country rain deficit was at 30% on Wednesday, with regional deficit in South India also remaining high. Coastal Andhra Pradesh was deficit by 26%, South Interior Karnataka 22%, Rayalaseema 68% and Tamil Nadu 28%. Kerala is the only pocket which is close to normal with 3% of deficit.
According to Skymet Meteorology Division in India, there isn't going to be any significant rain in the region in next 48 hours either. But good showers are expected over Tamil Nadu and south coastal Andhra Pradesh.
The Northeast Monsoon stretches from October to December. The rainfall increases incredibly both in terms of frequency and intensity across the region during this season. There will be more number of rainy days in October, whereas the peak period for the season is November.
This monsoon is of great significance for Tamil Nadu as the state is considered to be a rain shadow area, due to which the normal rainfall is not very high during the Southwest Monsoon season. Northeast Monsoon is considered to be the rainy season for the state. Its capital city Chennai receives more than 60% of its annual rainfall during these months.
The rainfall variation during the monsoon in the region is very high. Chennai had witnessed record rainfall of 1070 mm in October in 2005, where as it has also observed a paltry 71.5 mm of rain during the same month in 2007.
