Andhra Pradesh to Receive Above Normal Rainfall This Monsoon

Andhra Pradesh is expected to receive above normal rainfall during the southwest monsoon season (June to September) this year, said officials of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD). Indian Meteorological Department predicted this would happen with favourable La Nina conditions from June to September.

According to the IMD, rainfall during the southwest monsoon season in 2022 will be 96% to 104 percent of the 1971-2020 Long Period Average (LPA) of 87 cm. Earlier, the IMD considered the LPA of 88 cm from 1961 to 2010. Quantitatively, the monsoonal rainfall from June to September is expected to be 99 percent of the LPA, with a margin of error of 5%.

Stella S, the director of IMA-Amaravati, predicted normal to above-average southwest monsoon seasonal rainfall across Andhra Pradesh and Yanam.

Andhra Pradesh had 613.3 mm of rain between June 1 and September 30 of 2021, which is almost 19% higher than the typical 514 mm. Andhra Pradesh had 738.2 mm of rain between June 1 and September 30, 2020, which is around 44% higher than the typical 514 mm. Because the excess was greater than 44%, the IMD categorised it as excess rainfall.

Excess rainfall in the Southwest monsoon was recorded in seven districts in 2021: Rayalaseema's Kadapa and Chittoor, as well as Guntur, Krishna, East Godavari, Visakhapatnam, and Vizianagaram in Coastal Andhra Pradesh. During the monsoon season, Anantapur, Kurnool, Nellore, Prakasam, West Godavari, and Srikakulam districts received normal rainfall.

The start of the southwest monsoon, which contributes around 75% of the state's yearly rainfall, starts in the first week of June in Kerala. The southwest monsoon is expected to arrive in Andhra Pradesh in the first week of June and spread to the entire state by the second week, said Stella.