Hyderabad recorded 278 dry days; highest in 15 years

Hyderabad: Hyderabad and Jogulamba Gadwal district recorded highest number of annual dry days in the Telangana state, reports said.

The state has experienced a drought in the region for nearly 278 days according to the latest data recorded by the state’s department of planning. This is the largest number of dry days recorded in the last 15 years. The city receives rainfall for 87 days a year.

According to the department of meteorology, a dry day is when the cumulative rainfall received over a 24-hour period is less than 0.2 mm or insufficient to measure.

Of the 278 dry days, 59 are during the southwest monsoon between June and September and 79 again during the northeast monsoon between October and December, according to the department of weather and climatology in Telangana.

The maximum number of dry days after Hyderabad and Jogulamba is followed by Wanaparty (275). Meanwhile lowest number of dry days were seen in Bhadradri Kothangudem (233), Vikarabad (244) and Khammam (246).

According to the data, the city experienced 20 droughts between 2004 and 2020. Dr Rama Rao, a climatologist who spoke about the variability of rainfall and droughts told Times Of India: “Unlike areas like Bhadradri, the city is Deccan Plateau. Climatic conditions are the cause of rainfall in other areas.”

The monsoon rain returned to the Hyderabad on July 13, but also brought excess rainfall in various areas of the city.