Pre-monsoon twist: State sees a drier April

Panaji: Goa’s pre-monsoon weather has been playing a curious game this year. Despite March bringing the bulk of the showers earlier, April stayed surprisingly dry. Weather experts say the state is experiencing an unusual seasonal shift during this pre-monsoon season.“Typically, the hot weather season from March to May contributes just around 4% of Goa’s annual rainfall, which is 3370mm,” said M R Ramesh Kumar, a meteorologist and retired NIO scientist. “But this year, we’ve seen some interesting variations— especially in March.”The heaviest single-day pre-monsoon rainfall so far came on March 25 with about 7.1mm of rainfall, while April has been mostly dry, clocking in just one rainy day.The climatological mean rainfall for the north Goa district for April is 5.6mm, and for the south Goa district, it is 7.5mm, and the mean value for the state for April is 6.6mm.Historically, May is the rainiest of the pre-monsoon months, and meteorologists say this pattern could still hold true. Pre-monsoon showers tend to be localised and sporadic, often arriving with dramatic thunderstorms. Goa sees more thunderstorm activity during this season than at any other time of year outside the post-monsoon period.Meanwhile, temperatures across the state have been higher than usual this April — both maximum and minimum — when compared to past years. However, cloudy skies since April 21 have helped keep Panaji’s daytime temperatures below 34°C and night-time temperatures hovering at 26 degrees C, according to data from the Altinho meteorological office. Yet, on the last day of the month, April 30, Panaji recorded 27°C and Mormugao recorded 27.8°C in the minimum temperature.Humidity levels, too, have been on the rise. After a dry spell in early April, relative humidity climbed steadily over the past week, bringing that familiar sticky feeling back into the air. Winds have largely been westerly (around 270°), adding to the shifting dynamics.The wettest April on record for Goa remains 1937, when the state was drenched with 217.2mm of rain. While May still holds promise for more rain, meteorologists continue to monitor conditions closely.