TEHRAN – Rainfall has reached above normal levels in Iran as the country received 22 percent more rainfall since the beginning of the current water year (September 23, 2019) compared to the long run, head of the National Drought and Monitoring Center of the Meteorological Organization has announced.

Gilan, Mazandaran and Hormozgan provinces surpassed other provinces in terms of high rainfall rates over the aforesaid period, ISNA quoted Ahad Vazifeh as saying on Sunday.

Referring to the fact that 137.9 mm rained since September 23 till February 4, he stated that the figure has increased by 22.1 percent compared to the long-term average and also 0.5 percent in comparison to the same period last year. 

Pointing to Gilan, Mazandaran and Hormozgan provinces as the rainiest provinces, he noted that Gilan province got 459.5 mm of rain, Mazandaran and Hormozgan provinces also received 358.9 mm and 286 mm, respectively.

However, compared to the long term, Gilan province faced 2.2 percent decline in rainfall, and Mazandaran province experienced a 14.3 percent increase in precipitation, he added.

The average long-term rainfall in Hormozgan province is reported 93.6 mm, which shows that this year's precipitation has increased by 205.5 percent, he highlighted.

He went on to say that in Sistan-Baluchestan province, there has been reported 125.6 mm of rainfall since the beginning of the current water year, adding that the precipitation has increased in the province by 136.6 mm in comparison to the long term averages.

Precipitation in East Azarbaijan, West Azarbaijan, Ardabil, Isfahan, Ilam, Chaharmahal-Bakhtiari, North Khorasan, Khuzestan, Kordestan, Kermanshah, Kohgiluyeh-Boyerahmad, Golestan, Gilan , Lorestan and Yazd have declined relative proportion of the long-term average, he lamented.

Speaking about precipitation in Tehran during the aforementioned period, he stated that 120 mm of rain doused Tehran, which shows a 4.4 percent increase compared to the long run but a decline of 30 percent compared to last year.

FB/MG