Mumbai received more than 50% of its annual average rainfall in just one month
The weather station at Santacruz, which is representative of Mumbai, recorded 1,362.8mm rain from June 1 to July 9 (till 8.30am)
The downpour on Monday helped Mumbai surpass 50% of its average annual rain, according to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) and India Meteorological Department (IMD).
According to data from BMC’s disaster management cell, the weather station at Santacruz, which is representative of Mumbai, recorded 1,362.8mm rain from June 1 to July 9 (till 8.30am), which is 54.19% of the average annual rain (2,515mm). The Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 1,190.1mm rain during this period, 52.27% of the average annual rain of 2,234mm. Last year, Santacruz and Colaba had recorded 711.8mm (29%) and 594.8mm (27.2%) from June 1 to July 9.
Meanwhile, the IMD data showed Mumbai had recorded 60% of its annual average rain. From June 1 to July 9 (5.30pm), the city recorded 1,438.8mm rain, 63% of the seasonal average (from June to September) of 2,260mm, and 60% of the annual average of 2,373mm.
The individual weather stations, too, have recorded excess rain. Between June 1 and July 9 (8.30am), the Santacruz weather station recorded 1,362.8mm, 74% more than the average of 782mm. Similarly Colaba recorded 1190.1 during the same time against the average of 811.4mm (which is 47% excess), the IMD data showed.
The weather bureau’s data also revealed that Mumbai has so far recorded 76% of its average rain for July within nine days of the month. Santacruz has recorded 644.7mm rainfall from July 1 to July 9 (5.30pm), against the average of 840.7mm for the month.
Between 8.30am and 8.30pm on Monday, south Mumbai recorded 110.2mm of rainfall (heavy), while the suburbs recorded 78.9mm (heavy). The weather station at Colaba recorded 170.6mm (very heavy) rainfall between 8.30am on Sunday and 8.30am on Monday, which is the highest 24-hour rainfall for this season in the region.
According to the weather department’s classification, 15.6mm to 64.4mm of rainfall is considered ‘moderate’, 64.5mm to 115.5mm ‘heavy’, 115.6mm to 204.4mm ‘very heavy’ and more than 204.5mm is ‘extreme’.
“An upper air anti-cyclonic circulation (weather system) over the Arabian Sea south of Gujarat, a similar weather system over the Bay of Bengal south of Odisha, and an offshore trough extending from Karnataka to Kerala are allowing the monsoon current to be active over the north Konkan coast, including Mumbai. We expect heavy to very heavy rain, with isolated, extremely heavy spells over Mumbai and the surrounding areas till Wednesday, after which rainfall is expected to reduce slowly,” said Ajay Kumar, scientist, IMD, Mumbai. “Warnings have been conveyed to the BEST, the BMC, railways and the state.”
The minimum temperature in the suburbs recorded at 8.30am on Monday was the lowest in five years at 22.2 degrees Celsius, 3.2 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in Colaba was 25.2 degrees Celsium, 5.4 degrees below normal. In July 2013, Mumbai had recorded 22 degrees Celsius, the lowest night temperature in July for the decade.
One of the seven catchment areas supplying water to Mumbai – Tulsi Lake – began overflowing at 7.30am on Monday, said BMC. So far, the quantum of water in seven lakes is 5.50 lakh million litres against the required 14 lakh million litres annually.