Shimla, Sept 16 – Himachal Pradesh is experiencing one of its wettest monsoons in decades, with rainfall levels surpassing the 1,000 mm mark by mid-September, far above the seasonal average. Officials noted that the hill state has already received 1,010 mm of rainfall this year, 46 percent more than the normal 692 mm expected by this time of the season.
Meteorological data shows that Himachal usually records around 734 mm during the entire monsoon. “The state has already gone well beyond that, making 2024 one of the wettest monsoons in recent memory,” said a senior official of the Meteorological Department.
The unusually heavy downpour has been consistent across months. From September 1 to 16 alone, the state recorded 194 mm of rain against the normal 78.3 mm — nearly 148 percent higher than average. July and August too saw large surpluses, with August witnessing the highest rainfall since 1949. The state reported an excess of 68 percent that month.
The impact has been visible across the region. Flash floods, landslides and cloudbursts have continued to disrupt normal life in several districts even as the monsoon begins to retreat. Roads have been blocked, rivers have swollen beyond safe limits, and residents have been forced to deal with repeated weather emergencies. “At this fag end of the monsoon, the state is still facing extreme-weather events, which is unusual and concerning,” said a disaster management official.
The rainfall this year has already broken a two-decade record. Since 2005, the highest monsoon rainfall was in 2018, when 927 mm was recorded. In comparison, 2024 has crossed that by a significant margin. The state also surpassed the 2023 figure of 886 mm, a year when large-scale destruction from heavy rains made headlines across the country.
Officials pointed out that the rainfall this year has not only been higher in volume but also more erratic, with long dry spells broken by spells of torrential rain. “The intensity and frequency of such extreme rainfall events indicate a worrying trend,” noted a senior official.
With the monsoon still not officially over, the state’s cumulative rainfall could rise further, reinforcing fears of more weather-related disruptions in the coming weeks.
