India’s monsoon hits halfway mark: Why July witnessed prolonged wet and dry spells

After a significantly dry June and a poor start to the year’s monsoon season, July’s rainfall can be summed up as that of extremes. There were many rainy days during July, some of which went on to create historic records. But there were prolonged dry days, too.Here’s how much monsoon rainfall India received in the first half of the season, what caused the prolonged wet and dry periods, and which parts received record rainfall.Even though July opened with a significant rainfall deficit (-35%), the monsoon’s advance into all parts of the country by July 8, propelled by the formation and dissipation of the low pressure system formed over the Bay of Bengal, swung the weekly rainfall figures from +45% (July 2-8) to -51% during July 9-15. Low-pressure systems form when warm air heats up, expands