India received 782 mm of rain against monsoon average of 764.5 mm till date; Central region gets 19% surplus, while East, North East face 20% deficiency

Monsoons were active in the first week of September in the South and Central parts of the country except in Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu. Good rains were experienced in Saurashtra-Kutch, Marathwada, Konkan Goa, Coastal Karnataka, Kerala and Telangana. Indo-Gangetic plains along with North East India were poor performers. According to the rainfall data available with Skymet from 1 June - 8 September, the country has so far received 782 mm of rainfall against the normal of 764.5 mm. Central India continues to be the chief beneficiary with a surplus of 19 percent. After good rains, the South Peninsula now has a surplus of 11 percent, a 4 percent jump in just one week. East and North East India have been the most rain deprived region, facing a deficiency of 20 percent.

Active monsoon conditions in Central and East India Active monsoon conditions will be experienced in Central and East India. The first half of the week will be a witness to some good rains over West Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat. The possibility of heavy rainfall over parts of Gujarat cannot be ruled out. Good rains will also be observed in Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand and Bihar in the second half of the week. Isolated heavy rains will be recorded in parts of East Rajasthan, North Madhya Pradesh and South-West Uttar Pradesh. Short spells of light rains will be experienced across Delhi NCR. The weekend is expected to bring with it some moderate showers. But rains will mostly remain patchy over Delhi and NCR. The South Peninsula will experience light-moderate rains. The least activity is expected over Rayalaseema and Tamil Nadu. It will be generally hot and humid in Chennai with very slight chances of light rainfall. Generally, subdued rainfall activity is expected over the Western Ghats. Moderate rains will be recorded over the weekend in Konkan and Goa. The possibility of isolated heavy rains in this region cannot be ruled out either. Moderate rains will be recorded in North East India. Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and West Rajasthan will experience mostly dry conditions. Monsoon normally begins to withdraw from 1 September. However, this season the withdrawal will commence from the second fortnight of September. Regular showers in the first part of the week over Mumbai Mumbai experienced three consecutive days of heavy rainfall starting from 2 September. This spell of heavy rains exceeded the monthly cumulative in just three days. Regular showers may be expected in the early part of the week and may pick up the pace by the weekend. Impact on crops Most of the crops are at the flowering to the fruit-bearing stage. Excess rains now will possibly cause damage to the crops as it may induce flower dropping. Excess soil moisture may also damage the crop. However, light to moderate rainfall at this stage is highly beneficial to the crop. This is the time when pest and disease infestation also spread rapidly so one should keep a close eye on the crops and in case of infestation, remedial actions should be taken. The author is the managing director of Skymet Weather.