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Delhi monsoon: 8% more rain despite deficit across Haryana, Punjab, says report; here's why
Delhi has received 8% more rainfall than normal this monsoon, contrasting with neighboring regions facing deficits. This anomaly may be due to changing weather patterns linked to El Niño and climate change, affecting low-pressure systems and boosting rainfall in the capital.
Delhi has reportedly bucked the broader monsoon rainfall trend, receiving 8% more rain than its seasonal normal as of September 16, even as neighbouring regions recorded rainfall deficits. The unusual contrast has raised the possibility that changing weather patterns linked to a strengthening El Niño, along with climate change, may have influenced the capital’s rainfall, according to a report by The Times of India.
While Delhi recorded above-normal rainfall, its meteorological subdivision, Haryana, received 23% less rainfall, while northwest India as a whole was 10% below normal.
The contrast becomes more striking when district-level rainfall is considered. Delhi sits close to a large belt of rainfall-deficient districts stretching across Haryana and Punjab. Neighbouring Sonipat has recorded 32% less rainfall than normal, while Rohtak is at a 47% deficit. Further north, Hoshiarpur has received 53% less rainfall, and Kapurthala is facing a 69% shortfall.