Three Himachal towns record highest single-day rainfall in August, state logs 4 per cent deficit

PTI

Shimla, September 1

Three towns in Himachal Pradesh’s Mandi district recorded the highest single-day rainfall in August, even as the state received a deficit of four per cent rains last month, the MeT office said on Friday.

The hill state recorded 247.6 mm rains in August, against a normal of 256.8 mm -- a deficit of four per cent -- the MeT said.

In Mandi, Bijahi received 102 mm of rainfall on August 14, breaking the previous record of 99.2 mm on August 18, 2019. Kataula which recorded 210.2 mm of rainfall on August 23 surpassed its record of 165 mm on August 20, 2022 and Pandoh with 178 mm of rain on August 23 crossed its all-time high of 137.3 mm on August 13, 2011.

According to the MeT, August 2019 witnessed the maximum rainfall at 322.5 mm -- an excess of 23 per cent -- while the minimum rains for the month were recorded in 2021 -- 146.1 mm at 44 per cent deficit.

This year, the hill state received isolated to widespread precipitation in August with extremely heavy rains on August 14 and 23. Five Western disturbances approached Himachal Pradesh during this month.

The Kangra district was the wettest with 720.4 mm of rainfall, against the normal of 631.5 mm -- an excess of 14 per cent. It was followed by Bilaspur, which received 597.2 mm rains against the normal of 316.8 -- an excess of 89 per cent.

The tribal districts of Lahaul and Spiti and Kinnaur received 4.2 mm and 32.6 mm of rain -- deficit of 96 per cent and 58 per cent respectively, the MeT said.

Himachal Pradesh received 816.4 mm of rains from June 1 to August 31 against the normal of 613.8 mm for this period -- an excess of 33 per cent, the MeT said.

According to the state emergency operation centre, the state has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 8,656 crore since the onset of monsoon on June 24 till August 31 and the loss estimates are still pouring in.

However, Chief Minister Sukhvinder Singh Sukhu has maintained that the state suffered losses of Rs 12,000 crore. 

As many as 255 persons so far have died in rain-related incidents, while 38 are still missing. The state witnessed 235 landslides and flash floods, the data released by the emergency centre showed.  

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