Generally, October is the rainiest month for the state of Tamil Nadu. This year also, rains commenced on a good note in the beginning of the month on account of Cyclone Titli and almost double of normal rains were recorded during the first half of the month. However, during the second half of October i.e. after the passage of Cyclone Titli, rains reduced significantly, and Tamil Nadu’s rain surplus got consumed fully.
The reason for this varying intensity of rains can be attributed to the delay in onset of Northeast Monsoon and formation of several systems in the Bay of Bengal throughout the month such as Cyclone Titli.
In the month of October, rainfall variability over the state is very large. Since the last 8 years, there have been occasions when the state was largely surplus and even largely deficient on few occasions. In fact, according to statics, since 2011, five years received below normal rains, whereas 3 years crossed the months normal rainfall.
October rainfall in Tamil Nadu:
This year, Tamil Nadu is rain deficient by 13%. The southern pockets have performed far better than the northern districts of the state. Rainfall distribution has also been largely variable in all the districts. In fact, at present, Perambur district is rain deficient by 63% and Thiruvarur district is rain surplus by 59%.
Moreover, the neighboring pockets have also shown inconsistent rainfall performance. Let us have a look at the rainfall activity in October over these few co-located stations:
Coimbatore: 33%, Tiruppur: 18%, Yercaud: -17%, Coonoor: -56% and Salem: -52%.
Image Credits – YouTube
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