Good El Nino? How a bad monsoon left city drenched
Delhi experienced an unusual monsoon surplus this year, contrasting with the deficit seen in surrounding regions. Experts suggest that shifting low-pressure systems influenced by El Nino and climate change contributed to this localized rainfall pattern.
Why it matters
Understanding localized climate anomalies is critical for urban planning and agricultural management in the face of global climate change.
NEW DELHI: The capital defied the odds this monsoon. As of Sept 16, Delhi had a season's rainfall surplus of 8% in a meteorological subdivision (Haryana) that's reeling under a 23% deficit and a region (northwest India) that has logged a 10% shortfall. The season's peculiar rainfall pattern indicates that a strengthening El Nino as well as climate change may have played a role in giving the capital an unlikely monsoon bounty.A look at the season's district-level rainfall map of the region shows Delhi literally at the edge of the good monsoon zone this year (see graphic).
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