Rajasthan sees second wettest May in 120 yrs

New Delhi, May 31

Rajasthan, otherwise a dry state, has experienced the second wettest May since the nationwide records commenced in 1901. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday said Rajasthan received 62.4 mm rainfall this month. The wettest May of Rajasthan was in 1917 when the state recorded 71.9 mm of rain.

The rainfall during the month as a whole was 458 per cent of the state’s long period average (LPA) based on data of 1971-2020. The rainfall received was large excess (departure plus 358 per cent of long period average). The LPA for Rajasthan in May is 13.66 mm.

In a statement, the IMD said a record breaking rainfall of 72.8 mm in a day was observed in Bikaner on May 29. The previous highest rainfall observed in a day was 63.1 mm in 1999 in Bikaner. All 33 districts received large excess rainfall (departure plus 60 per cent or more). The development is another example of change in the rain pattern apparently owing to climate change.

The IMD has already said there had been a shift of rainfall from northeast to west due to climate change.