Shimla, Oct. 1 — Himachal Pradesh received 39 per cent above normal rainfall during the monsoon season from June 1 to September 30, the MeT office reported on Wednesday. The state recorded 1,022.5 mm of rainfall against the normal 734.4 mm, causing widespread damage and losses exceeding Rs 4,881 crore.
The hill state experienced 47 cloudbursts, 98 flash floods, and 148 major landslides during this period, resulting in 454 deaths. Of these, 264 were in rain-related incidents and 190 in road accidents, while 498 people sustained injuries and 50 remain missing. Around 9,230 houses were fully or partially damaged, according to the State Emergency Operation Centre’s last report on September 24.
The southwest monsoon entered Himachal on June 20 and withdrew on September 26. Historically, the earliest monsoon onset in the last 29 years was June 9, 2000, and the latest was July 5, 2010. The earliest withdrawal was September 18, 2001, and the latest on October 11, 2019.
This year’s rainfall ranks as the 15th-highest in the past 125 years and the heaviest in 29 years, though the state recorded its all-time highest of 1,314.6 mm in 1922. Monthly data show excess rainfall of 34 per cent in June, 68 per cent in August, and 71 per cent in September, while July saw a deficit of 2 per cent. Very heavy rains were recorded on 36 days: four in June, eight in July, 15 in August, and nine in September.
The report notes the severe impact of the monsoon on life and infrastructure, underscoring the need for disaster preparedness in the state’s vulnerable hilly terrain.
