Third-longest Monsoonal Break

19 Aug 2023

Context:

According to the regional center of India Meteorological Department, the current monsoon break that started on August 7, 2023 has finally ended on August 18, 2023.

More about the news:

This current monsoonal break makes it the third-longest for this century after 2002 and 2009.
According to the data, in the last 73 years, there have been a total of 10 instances when the break spell has stretched over 10 days.
The longest consecutive break spell was reported in 1972, when the core monsoon zone did not receive any rainfall for 17 days at a stretch, while in 1966 and 2002, the break spell stretched over 10 days on multiple occasions.

Break in monsoon:

As the trough moves northwards from its initial location, rainfall abruptly stops over the plains of northern and southern India, while intensifying rapidly over the foothills of northeastern India. This phenomenon is referred to as a ‘break in monsoon.’
Conversely, when the trough moves southward from its original position, it creates conducive conditions for the development of low pressure areas and depressions over the Bay of Bengal. This results in increased rainfall for central India and the southern peninsula.
The shifting of the monsoon trough leads to occurrences of ‘break in monsoon’ situations.
- Monsoon trough refers to an elongated low pressure zone from the heat low of northwest India with its axis running parallel to the Himalayan mountains in a west-to-east direction.