Plenty of rains in state 1 to 5, Karnali & Sudurpaschim see drizzles

Kathmandu / June 24: As easterly wind (monsoon) is becoming active for the past four days, several parts of all the seven States are currently witnessing moderate to heavy rainfall, according to Meteorology Forecasting Division, Kathmandu.

Meteorologist Samir Shrestha at the Meteorology Forecasting Division under the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology said that monsoon had touched almost all the States, but a few districts in some lower belt of southern Nepal and high Himalayan region in the north have not received rains.

This year, monsoon entered Nepal on June 12.

“Currently, the monsoon is active in State 1, 2, Bagmati, Gandaki and State 5, where most regions are witnessing heavy to moderate rains almost every day with chances of floods and landslips in several parts, this week,” Shrestha told The Rising Nepal, Tuesday.

Karnali and Sudurpaschim are witnessing rains but not heavy and regularly, he said. These two States are getting only light drizzles which is not sufficient for paddy plantation and to cause floods and landslides because the rain-carrying moisture becomes weak before it travels farther, he said.

“This means as a trend of every regular monsoon season, State 1 to 5 are sure to get an average rainfall and some parts even above normal rainfall,” he said.

He also said that monsoon was currently in its active form in major parts of the country except some southern region of west Nepal including Kailali district.

“Some lower southern belt of the country receives less rainfall than the expected rain every year and this happens due to cause of orographic lift in monsoon phenomenon,” Shrestha said.

He said orographic lifting system occurs when an air mass is forced from a low elevation to a higher elevation as it moves over rising terrain. In this system, when the air mass gains altitude it quickly cools down and increases relative humidity and precipitation occurs under the right condition only, he said.

And most of the high Himalayan region in the northern belt of the country like Manang, Mustang witnesses no rains due to the effect of rain shadow, he said. In this system, mountains block the passage of rain-producing weather system and cast a shadow of dryness in the opposite direction of the same mountain.

He said moderate to heavy rains are likely to occur in few places of State 1, 2, 5, Gandaki and Karnali in the next two days.

In the last 24 hours, Dhangadi received the highest rainfall with 83.4 mm followed by 69.2 mm in Biratnagar. Kathmandu received 5 mm rainfall in 24 hours, according to Meteorology Department.

Kathmandu received 145.70 mm rainfall in the month of June. The average monthly rainfall for the month of June is 236.3 mm.