Monsoon ends with 12.6% rainfall deficit, driest season in a decade
The rains in eastern and northeastern states were the lowest since 1901, the weather department said.
Black News 
The southwest monsoon ended on Wednesday with a 12.6% deficit in rainfall, said the India Meteorological Department. This makes the season the driest in 11 years and the fourth driest in this century.
The southwest monsoon had set in on June, 4 marking the beginning of the four-month rainy season in the country. This year, the monsoon arrived three days later than its usual onset date of June 1.
It covered the entire country on July 9, a day later than the normal date of July 8.
On Wednesday, the IMD said that the country had received 759.4 mm of rainfall against the long-period average of 868.6 mm.
The long-period average is the measure of the mean rainfall during the four-month monsoon season over the last 50 years.
The weather department further said that monsoon rainfall over northwest India was 94.1% of the long-period average, over central India it was 97%, over the southern Peninsula it was 74% and over the North East, it was 74%.
At 1,017.1 mm, the rainfall in eastern and northeastern states was the lowest since 1901. During a press conference, the IMD also pointed out that the average rainfall received by northeastern states has been showing a consistent decline.
Southern Peninsula received 542 mm of rainfall, which is the fourth-lowest since 1901 and second since...
