Panaji: Goa has recorded two consecutive non-rainy days during July, climatologically the wettest month of the southwest monsoon, raising concerns over a prolonged dry spell during the peak rainy season.According to the daily rainfall bulletin for the 24 hours ending at 8.30am on July 13, no part of the state recorded light, moderate, heavy or very heavy rainfall. Only traces of rain were reported, with Dabolim and Ela (Old Goa) receiving 0.8mm each, Canacona 0.6mm and Mormugao 0.4mm. Rainfall across the state remained below the 2.5mm threshold that defines a “rainy day.”The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday said the southwest monsoon remained weak over Goa, with “very light to light rainfall” reported at most places.Meteorologist and retired National Institute of Oceanography chief scientist M R Ramesh Kumar said such conditions are unusual for July, which typically records around 27 rainy days .“Climatologically, July has about 27 rainy days, meaning the state records more than 2.5mm of rainfall on around 27 days during the month,” he said, adding that the month also witnesses most of Goa’s extreme rainfall events.“Having a non-rainy day, that is, rainfall of less than 2.5mm, is quite bad for the state of Goa. Already we have two such days within the first 12 days of July, and with 19 more days to go, the situation can become quite complicated if this trend continues,” Kumar said.He attributed the subdued monsoon mainly to Typhoon Bavi, which developed over the South China Sea on July 1, made landfall over eastern China and dissipated on July 11.“The violent tropical cyclone reduced effective convection over the north Indian Ocean, particularly the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. This weakened monsoon activity over the Indian subcontinent, including Goa,” he said.Kumar also pointed to an unusually weak low level jet, a key driver of the southwest monsoon. “The low level jet was only around 10 knots, which is just one-third of the normal peak LLJ strength of 30 knots or more,” he said.Goa has so far received 907.7mm of seasonal rainfall against the normal 1,355.3mm, a deficit of 33%. The IMD has forecast light rain after evening hours over the next 24 hours, with maximum and minimum temperatures likely to be around 33°C and 26°C, respectively.
