Shimla, October 5
After hanging on for about a week, the southwest monsoon today withdrew from Himachal Pradesh with 38 per cent deficient rains during the season from June 1 to September 30.

“The southwest monsoon has withdrawn from the state of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, West Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Uttarakhand, parts of north Madhya Maharashtra and north Konkan,” said Director of local Meteorological Department Manmohan Singh.

Himachal received average rainfall of 521.8 mm rain against normal rainfall of 843.5 mm during the season, which was 38 per cent less and only four districts of Una (863.4 mm), Hamirpur (890 mm), Mandi (1050.8 mm) and Shimla (555.9 mm) received normal rainfall this season.

Barring Una, which has zero deficit, no other district received excess rainfall. However, shortfall up to 18 per cent is considered normal by the MeT Department. The state received the lowest rainfall during the past 10 years after 2004 when the deficit was at all-time high at 46 per cent.

Chamba district, which normally receives 1,404.4 mm rains, has received 469.4 mm rains, a deficit of 67 per cent, while Sirmaur and Kangra districts received 873.4 mm and 1,052.2 mm rains against normal rainfall of 1,324.6 mm and 1,582.1 mm, which was 34 and 33 per cent deficient, respectively.

Bilaspur, Solan and Kullu districts had 638.1 mm, 774.2 mm and 409.3 mm rains against normal rainfall of 877.27 mm, 1,000.1 mm and 519.4 mm which was 27, 23 and 21 per cent deficient, respectively. However, Kinnaur district received lowest rainfall of 47.8 mm, which was 82 per cent less than normal, while Lahaul and Spiti district received 92.2 mm rains, 80 per cent less than normal.

During this season, July was the wettest month with 214.4 mm rainfall, which was 31 per cent.

During this season, Dharamsala recorded 2,006.9 mm rainfall, which is 15 per cent less than normal.

The town known for heaviest rainfall had recorded 3,075.8 mm rains last year, which was 36 per cent more than normal.

The highest rainfall of 4,153 mm was recorded in Dharamsala during the monsoon season in 1958.

Among other district headquarters, Shimla city recorded 1,064.1 mm, which is just one per cent more than normal, while Bilaspur town had received 643.1 (- 22% rains, followed by Chamba 432.9 (-20%), Hamirpur 933.3 (-15%), Kalpa 129.9 (-25%), Kullu 264.6 (-29%), Keylong 91 (- 50%), Mandi 1,086.6 (-8%), Nahan 1073.3 (-34%), Solan 676 (-23%) and Una 716.8 (-11%).

Barring 2010, when the state received 13 per cent excess rainfall, Himachal had been receiving deficient rains during the past 10 years with worst dry spell in 2004 with 46 per cent less rain.

It was followed by 36 per cent deficient rains in 2006, 34 per cent in 2007 and 2009, 16 per cent in 2012, 11 per cent in 2011, 8 per cent in 2005, 7 per cent in 2013 and 5 per cent in 2008.

During 2013, south-west monsoon withdrew from Himachal on September 19 and cumulative rainfall from June 1 to September 19, 2013, was 747 mm which was only 7 per cent less than normal rainfall.