Monsoon ends with Calcutta recording a rain surplus of 28%, says Met

Calcutta recorded a rain surplus of 28% this monsoon, the Met office said on Friday.

India recorded a cumulative rain deficit of around 13%.

The retreat of the southwest monsoon covered the entire country on Thursday.

Calcutta received 1,718.9mm of rain between June 1 and September 30. This translates to a surplus of 28%.

Three other Bengal districts recorded surplus rain — East Midnapore (48%), West Midnapore (40%) and North 24-Parganas (29%), said the Met office.

Six districts were rain deficient — North Dinajpur (-33 %), Malda (-29%), Jalpaiguri (-26%), Dakshin Dinajpur (-25%), Darjeeling (-21%), and Nadia (-22%).

A shortage or surplus of up to 19% is considered normal in Met parlance.

Overall, Bengal recorded 1,359.9mm of rain against the “long-period average” of 1,344.2mm. The average is computed from Met readings compiled from 1971 to 2020.

This year, the southwest monsoon set foot in north Bengal on June 9 and south Bengal on June 12. It retreated from most parts of the state, including Calcutta, on October 12.

During this monsoon, 11 systems took shape on the Bay of Bengal.