PUNE: This August, India recorded the best monsoon for the month in last five years despite a 6.4% shortfall in showers in comparison to the normal range.The -6.4% departure is the least deficit recorded in August since 2014 – a drought year. Since 2014, the country saw departures from -8% to -21%. This year, however, all the subdivisions, except south peninsula, ended up with less than average rain in August 2018, but India fared better than all the years since 2014.An IMD official said August had no break-like conditions this year, unlike last year and 2016. In 2017, break-like conditions prevailed during the first week of July and on several days during the first fortnight of August. In 2017, August 3 and 4, and August 11 to 13 depicted typical monsoon-break conditions. This made August 2017 end up at a -12.1% departure from normal.In 2016, rainfall activity was very less in June, second part of July and August, as well as in the beginning of September. Though rainfall activity was good in the beginning of July and August, the monthly rainfall in August 2016 ended with a -8.3% departure from normal.In 2015 rainfall activity over India in August was very subdued. Except for some meteorological subdivisions of central, peninsular and extreme northeastern region, most of the subdivisions received deficient or scanty rainfall.A K Srivastava, head of climate monitoring at IMD, Pune, said 2014 and 2015 were El Nino years, resulting in below-normal rain. “Typically, August experiences a break situation in the second or third week in most years. This year, monsoon was very active during August, so much so that it caused a deluge in Kerala. An upper air anti-cyclone in August over NE ensured westward movement of monsoon systems, causing good rainfall,” he said.