New Delhi, Aug. 14 -- On June 30, a month into the rainy season, India had received 8.9% more monsoon rains than normal. These were not evenly distributed across the country, but were in excess cumulatively - excesses of 42.2% over northwest India and 24.8% over central India, but deficiencies of 16.9% over east and northeast India and 2.7% over peninsular India. This trend carried into the next month. As on July 31, India had received 6.4% excess monsoon rain. Again, these were spread unequally - 21.1% excess over northwest India, 22.9% excess over central India, a 22% deficiency over east and northeast India and a 2.3% shortfall over peninsular India. Within the first 13 days of August, India's overall rain surplus has shrunk significantly, with the country receiving its usual quantum of monsoon rain so far this month - neither an excess nor a deficiency, showed data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This, despite a clutch of states receiving significantly more rain than normal, underscoring the deep variations that now characterise the monsoon, with its patterns ravaged by the climate crisis. India has received 561.8mm of rain so far this monsoon, just 0.1mm short of the long-period average (LPA, otherwise known as the normal) of 561.9mm for the same period. At the same time, the rain in northwest India has been 17% above normal (433.1mm this season, against a 371.7mm LPA), even as showers in the east and northeast have been 18% deficient (724.5mm, as against 878.3mm). The central India and southern India IMD subdivisions received excess rains of 3% and 0%, respectively, till August 12. The downpour over the foothills of the Himalayas, which swept away a cluster of villages in Uttarkashi last week and submerged dozens of towns, kept the central, eastern and northeastern parts of the country from receiving much rain, said IMD officials. Uttarakhand has received 57% excess rain this month and 12% this season. Similarly, Bihar has received 45% excess so far this August and 26% deficiency this season, Uttar Pradesh 68% and 9% and Himachal Pradesh 29% and 15%. Most of central India however recorded large - over 60% - deficiency. In August, Madhya Pradesh recorded 68% deficiency; Chhattisgarh 62%; Rajasthan 71%; Maharashtra 63%; Odisha 65% and Gujarat 89%, among others This may change next week, the IMD officials added....