A week on, Goa sees 28% surplus rain

PANAJI: Goa has witnessed a bountiful onset to the monsoon this year, with a noteworthy departure from normal rainfall patterns. Just a week after the monsoon's arrival on June 4, the state has experienced 331mm of rainfall, marking a significant 28% surplus. The normal rainfall for this point in the season is 257.9mm.
Meteorologist and retired NIO scientist MR Ramesh Kumar said that this June has exhibited unprecedented activity."Last year, we witnessed a prolonged active spell in July, whereas this year, the intensity of rainfall has been notably high right from the onset in June. Most rain gauge stations across the region have recorded over 300mm of rainfall within the first week alone, indicating a promising outlook for the next three-and-a-half months," he said.
Kumar attributed the reason to the neutral El Nino, which kickstarted the month. Kumar also pointed to the role of the La Nina phenomenon, expected to prevail from July to September, in contributing to an overall surplus in monsoon rainfall this season. "On the whole, we will have excess monsoon this season thanks to La Nina," he said.
Despite the robust start, recent observations from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicate a temporary weakening of the southwest monsoon over Goa. On Wednesday, light to moderate rainfall was reported across most areas in the state, with isolated places experiencing heavy downpours.
The IMD has issued a forecast warning of continued light to moderate rainfall over the state till June 18.