Evaluating the severity of the drought using multi-index drought investigation in Uttar Pradesh north-eastern plain region

Abstract

This study presents an analysis of the Annual Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and Percent of Normal Precipitation (PNP) values for a location over a 120-year period from 1901 to 2020. The SPI is a widely used metric for quantifying precipitation deficits or surpluses, with positive values indicating wetter than normal conditions and negative values indicating drier than normal conditions. The data shows a wide range of SPI values, with the maximum value of 2.15 occurring in 1980, indicating significantly higher than normal precipitation that year. Several other years also experienced notably high SPI values, such as 2.02 in 1936, 2.0 in 1925, and 1.67 in 1970, suggesting periods of substantially wetter than normal conditions. The findings from this analysis highlight the significant variability in precipitation patterns over the past century, with both extreme wet and dry conditions occurring at various points the study underscores the importance of continuous monitoring and analysis of precipitation data to support effective decision-making and resilience-building efforts. The highest PNP was recorded in 1980 at 149.062077%, indicating an exceptionally wet year. On the other hand, 1991 experienced the lowest PNP at 49.48%, marking it as an extremely dry year.