Rainfall Data for Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim : October 2013

IMetD classifies its rainfall maps under four headers :

• Winter - January to February
• Pre-monsoon - March to May
• Monsoon - June to September
• Post Monsoon - October to December              

Slide - 1 - Shows the last rainfall map for the Monsoon season in 2013 ie from Jun-Sep2013. SHWB (Sub Himalyan West Bengal) and Sikkim went deficient in rainfall throughout the season receiving 15% less than the normal average.

Slide - 2 - Shows the predicted withdrawal pattern (in red dots) of the South Westerly monsoon along with actual trajectory that was traced (in green lines). The rain bearing winds withdrew entirely from the Indian sub-continent on the 21Oct2013. 

Slide - 3 - In the first month of the post monsoon season SHWB and Sikkim recieved 30% more rainfall than the normal average (154.2mm). The excess rainfall was the result of two days of incessant rainfall on the 14/15Oct2013 caused by Very Severe Cyclone 'Phailin' when most of this region received more than the whole months rainfall in just two days (Shown in last slide).
No major landslides were reported, perhaps because the entire Oct was otherwise dry.  

For the full 2013 Southwest Monsoon end of the season report by IMetD click here  

Rohan Rao,

Kalimpong,

Dist Darjeeling,

Email - rohan.rao1313@gmail.com

Rainfall data for Sub Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim : September 2013

The monsoon season thus far has seen an extreme event (the cloud burst) that devastated Uttarkhand, while the North East including Sub Himalayan West Bengal (SHWB) and Sikkim (which normally receives the highest precipitation in the sub-continent) receiving below normal rainfall. On the contrary, Rajasthan a desert state had excess rainfall.
Total rainfall in the sub-continent has been 6% above normal which has benefited the agriculture sector immensely with increased food production and the monsoon is still very active in many parts of the country (normally the SW monsoons start retreating in mid September).
In September 2013, SHWB and Sikkim saw less than normal rainfall and that has been the trend throughout the monsoon season this year.

Unfortunately even with the less than average rainfall, landslides still seem to find a way of affecting us, with five lives being lost in the village Tamabung (Yuksom - Tashiding constituency)  in West Sikkim on 01Sep2013.

Rohan Rao,

Kalimpong,

Dist-Darjeeling,

Email - rohan.rao1313@gmail.com