TEHRAN — From the beginning of autumn to November 17, Iran received 43.7 millimeters of rain on average which quadruples last year’s precipitation over the same period, according to data released on Saturday by the National Drought Warning and Monitoring Center.

Last year in the same period it only rained 11.3 millimeters on average in the country. 

The amount also indicates a rise compared to the long-term average of 24.4 millimeters. 

Province of Gilan, northern Iran, received the highest amount of rain nationwide over the aforesaid period, the data showed. 

With 295.5 millimeters of rain Gilan set the record for highest amount of rain in the country.

Mazandaran, another northern province, and Ilam, western Iran, also came in second and third places respectively regarding the precipitation received.

Sadly, provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, Yazd and Hormozgan, situated in south and southeastern Iran all received the lowest amount of rain in the same period. 

According to the data, it only rained 3 millimeters in Sistan-Baluchestan and rainfalls amounted to 7.3 millimeters and 8.7 millimeters in Yazd and Hormozgan respectively.

Moreover, provinces of Bushehr and Khuzestan in southern Iran and Chaharmahal and Bakhtiari in western Iran which nearly received zero rain last year and Ilam with 6.7 millimeters of rain in the previous year in the same period have shown a great rise by receiving 106.2 mm, 126.9 mm, 107.2 mm and 193.9 mm of rain.

The capital of Iran also received 64.7 millimeters of rain over this period which shows a 7 times increase year on year. 

Raining set a record high in Tehran on November 12, constituting 10 percent of the annual precipitation in the city. With 20 millimeters of rain last week on Monday, Tehran surpassed the northern rainy city of Rasht in precipitation amount.

Compared to long-tern averages only provinces of Sistan-Baluchestan, Zanjan, East Azarbaijan and Ardabil received lower precipitation from the beginning of autumn to November 17. 

In general it seems that the whole country has received satisfactory amounts of rain which is hoped to increase over the next four months to come. 

However, on November 14, Sadeq Ziaeian director of the National Drought Warning and Monitoring Center explained that while precipitation rate in the country has exceeded by 14 millimeters, it is not satisfactory enough to compensate for severe water shortages, since in the last 11 water years, the precipitation rates was below normal or, eventually, normal, as a result of which the groundwater resources and water stored behind the dams had fallen sharply.

“So, at least 11 years of normal precipitation average is needed to compensate for the current situation,” he concluded.

MQ/MG