Rain plays truant in Thiruvananthappuram

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: If Thiruvananthapuram has had an abnormally sunny south-west monsoon thus far, blame it on cheeky rain gods.  Between June 1 and July 31, Thiruvananthapuram received 35 per cent less rainfall than the normal, placing it on top of a list of rain-deficient districts. According to the Met Department, the district received only 37 cm of rainfall from June 1 to July 31, against the normal of 57 cm. For the entire State, the deficiency was just three per cent during this period - 133 cm against a normal of 138 cm. The month of July, in fact, was too ‘rainless’ for a monsoon season in the district. Thiruvananthapuram received 57 per cent less rainfall between July 1 and July 31. ‘’Thiruvananthapuram should have got 23 cm by normal standards, but it received only ten cm. This is an unusual phenomenon,’’ said Met director (Thiruvananthapuram) K Santhosh. Traditionally, Thiruvananthapuram receives lesser rain compared to the other districts of the State. For instance, the normal rainfall expected in the district during the entire south-west monsoon - from June 1 to September 30 - is 97 cm, whereas, the expectation for Kasargod is 300 cm. But this year, the rain gods have been particularly nasty towards the southernmost district. ‘’The south-west monsoon has been intermittent in nature. There was rain for a few days, from July 11 onwards, in the State and then a lull period,’’ Santhosh said, attributing the low rainfall to phenomena including the low frequency of low pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal. Consequently, the wind patterns also were not conducive for a good rainy season so far. Thiruvananthapuram is not alone in the matter of low rainfall reception. Wayanad received 33 per cent less rainfall during this season and 51 per cent less for the month of July. Kollam received 17 per cent and 29 per cent less respectively. The Lakshadweep Islands also have received low rainfall so far.