With 68% Excess Rainfall, Himachal Records Wettest August in 76 Years

With rainfall exceeding the seasonal norm by 68 percent, Himachal Pradesh has recorded its wettest August in 76 years, breaking decades-old monsoon records. The deluge has made August 2025 the ninth wettest month since 1901. The highest August rainfall ever recorded in the state was in 1927, when an unprecedented 542.4 mm was logged in a single month.

This year, August brought widespread rainfall across Himachal, with most districts recording levels far above normal. On average, the state received 431.3 mm of rainfall against the normal 256.8 mm — a 68 percent increase. Interestingly, the state had seen rainfall deficits in August for the past four consecutive years: minus 3 percent in 2024, minus 4 percent in both 2023 and 2022, and a sharp deficit of minus 44 percent in 2021.

According to the IMD’s State Meteorological Centre, Kangra received the highest rainfall this August — 816.2 mm against the normal 631.5 mm — while Lahaul and Spiti recorded the lowest at 129.7 mm, compared to the usual 117.6 mm. Other districts also saw steep excesses: Una logged 815.1 mm against a normal 372.2 mm; Mandi 667.9 mm against 395.3 mm; Solan 627.9 mm against 287.9 mm; Hamirpur 617.9 mm against 400.6 mm; Bilaspur 598.7 mm against 316.8 mm; Chamba 561.6 mm against 291.7 mm; Sirmaur 557.5 mm against 402.1 mm; Kullu 477.5 mm against 180.2 mm; Shimla 438 mm against 196.4 mm; and Kinnaur 143.3 mm against 77.6 mm.

Kullu recorded the steepest surplus at 165 percent, while Lahaul and Spiti saw the lowest increase at 10 percent. The highest single-day rainfall in the state was recorded in Una, which received a staggering 222.8 mm on August 2.

The state meteorological department has further projected that September is also likely to see above-normal rainfall.