Goa experiences weak monsoon, dry start to Aug
The southwest monsoon faltered in Goa during the first ten days of Aug 2025, with rainfall far below seasonal expectations and most of the state's 13 rain gauge stations recording only scant precipitation.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
'This has been one of the driest starts to Aug so far,' said M R Ramesh Kumar, meteorologist and retired scientist of the National Institute of Oceanography.
'There is a 10% deficit for Goa compared to a 1% deficit for the entire Indian subcontinent. This doesn't augur well for Goa as the peak monsoon months of July and Aug contribute about 61% of the seasonal total,' he said. 'We have only 21 days of Aug left, with no convective systems forming over the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal.'
Kumar attributed the weak monsoon to several unfavourable meteorological factors, including weak low-level jet streams — with wind speeds as low as 10 knots — limiting the moisture transported from the surrounding seas.
Additionally, dry northwesterly winds from the arid regions of Saudi Arabia and Africa dominated the lower atmosphere up to 2,500 metres, further suppressing the moisture inflow.
'The monsoon trough and the offshore trough have not been positioned favourably, and no depressions have formed in the Arabian Sea or the Bay of Bengal this month,' Kumar said.
'These conditions have collectively hindered the development of active monsoon phases over Goa.'
Seasonal totals remain uneven, with Dharbandora receiving the most at 2,795.4mm, and Mormugao trailing with only 1,385.7mm. So far, the state has recorded a total of 2,054.2mm (81 inches) of seasonal total rainfall since June 1.
With the state still in the peak monsoon window, Kumar cautioned that a continued shortfall could stress water resources and disrupt crop cycles, particularly for paddy farmers dependent on consistent rainfall.
Tired of too many ads? go ad free now
The
(IMD) issued a yellow alert for Goa from Aug 14 to 16, warning of heavy rainfall at isolated places and light to moderate rainfall very likely across the state.
The IMD also warned of squally weather with wind speed reaching 40-50kmph gusting to 60kmph along and off the south Maharashtra-Goa coast on Aug 13 and 14.
Fisherfolk have been advised not to venture into that area during this period.
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Time of India
3 hours ago
- Time of India
Moderate to heavy rainfall likely in 10 districts today
Patna: The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an alert for very heavy and heavy rainfall in 10 districts of the state on Tuesday. The districts to witness rainfall are: West Champaran, Sitamarhi, Madhubani, Supaul, Araria, Purnia, Katihar, Madhepura, Saharsa and Gaya. The weather department has also issued a warning of thunderstorms and lightning activity for all the districts of the state on Tuesday. "Thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds, blowing at the speed of 30-40 km per hour, are expected at some places in the northern districts of the state and at one or two places in the southern districts," the bulletin said. In Patna, water level of Ganga is slowly receding, but remains above the danger mark. The water level at Maner was recorded at 52.72 metres on Tuesday morning, a drop of 13 cm from Sunday. At other key points, the water level has also slightly decreased: 10 cm below the previous day at Digha Ghat, 8 cm at Gandhi Ghat, and 3 cm at Hathidah. The forecast for northern districts remains consistent, with moderate to heavy showers expected to continue until Wednesday. On the other hand, despite the rain, no significant change in temperatures has been forecast for the next three to four days, with maximums expected to range between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius on Tuesday. Southern districts may see temperatures climb slightly higher, to 32-34 degrees Celsius, on Wednesday. On Monday, an orange alert of thunderstorms and rainfall was issued for some parts of Patna, Vaishali, Jehanabad, Purnia, Saharsa and Darbhanga. Stay updated with the latest local news from your city on Times of India (TOI). Check upcoming bank holidays , public holidays , and current gold rates and silver prices in your area.
The Hindu
4 hours ago
- The Hindu
As per 123-year rainfall data, many locations in State vulnerable to disasters in August
This week marks the seventh anniversary of the mega flood that claimed close to 500 lives in the State. Although rainfall this August has been subdued so far, a cursory glance through the 123-year rain data of the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) in Kerala reveals that many spots in Kerala are vulnerable to disasters in August, given the rainfall pattern in terrains across the State. A map drawn by P.S. Biju, senior scientist with the IMD, Thiruvananthapuram, using machine learning and GIS techniques and rainfall data collected from 110 weather stations in Kerala for the period between 1901 and 2023, shows that many locations in the State, especially parts of north Kerala, Idukki and Pathanamthitta, are vulnerable to disasters in August given the distribution of heavy rainfall. What the colours indicate In the map annexed with the story, the spots marked 'red' witnessed a minimum of three heavy rainfall events in August, and two intense rainfall events were recorded in areas marked in orange. The areas marked in yellow witnessed at least one such heavy rainfall event, while green denotes that for many years those areas have not witnessed any such events in August, said Mr. Biju. Though August has emerged as a dreadful month for Keralites who witnessed the 2018 and 2019 floods, the month receives relatively less rainfall compared to June and July, the two wettest southwest monsoon months in Kerala. In 2018, Kerala had received good pre-monsoon showers in May. This was followed by above-normal rainfall of 751.5 mm in June and excess precipitation of 857.8 mm in July. By this time, the cumulative excess precipitation in three months had saturated the soil and waterbodies. This was followed by the record precipitation of 820.9 mm of rainfall in August, against the monthly average of 445 mm, mainly in the third week of the month, submerging a vast tract of the areas in south and central Kerala. In 2019 as well, August had witnessed a record precipitation of 950.5 mm of rain, flooding southern Kerala. However, the severity of the flood was relatively less in 2019 compared to 2018, as the rainfall was deficient in the preceding months, especially in June (359 mm), and normal in July (574.3 mm). The flood of 1924 During the 'great flood of 1924' in Kerala, also known as the 'great flood of 99' and another major flood in 1961, the calamity occurred in July, unlike August in 2018 and 2019. It was only five times in the recorded history of Kerala that rainfall crossed 800 mm in August, and two times were in this millennium. This year, the IMD has forecast below-normal rainfall for August in 2025, and the rain has been subdued over most parts of the first half, except for a couple of short-lived intense spells.
Indian Express
4 hours ago
- Indian Express
IndiGo plane's nose damage incident: DGCA probe reveals severe weather, non-timely action in rerouting as probable causes
Aviation safety regulator Directorate General of Civil Aviation's investigation into the May 21 incident in which an IndiGo Airbus A321 aircraft suffered a damaged nose after flying through a severe hailstorm has identified severe weather and 'non-timely action' in rerouting the aircraft to keep it clear of inclement weather as the probable causes, Minister of State for Civil Aviation Murlidhar Mohol informed the Rajya Sabha on Monday. 'IndiGo A321 neo aircraft VT-IMD while operating flight 6E-2142 from Delhi to Srinagar encountered severe weather, including hail during cruise. After landing at Srinagar, the aircraft radome was found damaged. The incident has been investigated by Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA). The investigation has revealed that severe weather existing en-route and non-timely action in re-routing the aircraft clear of weather was the probable cause of the occurrence,' Mohol stated in a written response to a question in the Upper House. No further information was provided by Mohol on the DGCA investigation into the incident. Two days after the incident, the DGCA had said that the pilots flying operating that flight had requested the Indian Air Force Northern Area Control for deviation towards the India-Pakistan international border to avoid inclement weather, and later contacted the Lahore air traffic control (ATC) to briefly enter Pakistani airspace—a no-go zone for Indian aircraft—to circumvent the storm. Both these requests were denied, and the flight crew decided to go through the inclement weather and continue the journey to Srinagar, the DGCA had said then based on the pilots' statement. 'While cruising at FL360 (36,000 feet), aircraft entered hailstorm and severe turbulence near Pathankot. As per crew statement, they requested Northern control (IAF) for deviation towards left (International Border) due to weather on the route, however it was not approved. Later crew contacted Lahore to enter into their airspace to avoid the weather but the same was refused too. Crew initially attempted to return back but as they were close to the thunderstorm cloud, they decided to penetrate the weather. Subsequently, they encountered hailstorm and severe turbulence. Crew chose to continue at same heading to exit the weather by the shortest route towards Srinagar (sic),' the DGCA had said on May 23. At the time, sources in the Indian Air Force had said that the Northern Area Control's advice to the pilots was within the frame of the ban on Indian aircraft in Pakistani airspace, adding that the flight was assisted immediately in coordinating its route diversion. 'The aircraft was immediately assisted in coordinating their route diversion by contacting Delhi Area and passing requisite contact frequencies of Lahore control for overflight weather diversion request. Once Lahore refused overflight clearance, and the aircraft proceeded towards Srinagar, the flight was subsequently professionally assisted till a safe-landing at Srinagar airfield by giving control vectors and groundspeed readouts,' the IAF sources said. Air traffic services at the Srinagar airport are also under the control of the IAF. In the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, as diplomatic relations between India and Pakistan deteriorated, Pakistan shut its airspace to Indian aircraft and airlines, banning them from overflying its airspace. In the case of the IndiGo Delhi-Srinagar flight, Lahore ATC did not allow the use of its airspace despite the urgent weather situation that the aircraft was grappling with in view of the airspace closure. The aircraft departed from Delhi at 5:13 pm on May 21, according to flight tracking data. Around 45 minutes into the flight, when the aircraft was passing over the Pathankot area, the seat belt signs were switched on by the flight crew, which was followed by severe turbulence for a few minutes and a hailstorm hitting the aircraft's fuselage. The aircraft landed at the Srinagar airport at around 6:30 pm. Given the damage to the nose of the aircraft, it was grounded in Srinagar for necessary maintenance and inspections. According to the pilots' statement to the aviation safety regulator, the aircraft sounded various technical warnings while navigating the thunderstorm. These included warnings of 'angle of attack fault, alternate law protection lost, and backup speed scale unreliable'.
