September’s torrential showers highest for month in 25 years

With 52.2mm rain over 12 hours on Monday, the city broke a 10-year record for the highest seasonal rainfall. From June 1 to September 9 (8.30pm), Mumbai recorded 3,342.9mm rain against the previous high of 3,327.9 mm, recorded between June and September 2010.

The monsoon broke another record, with rains over the week taking the total for September to the highest for the month in 25 years.

Mumbai, India - Sept. 9, 2019: People deal with rain at Juhu in Mumbai, India, on Monday, September 9, 2019. (Photo by Satyabrata Tripathy/Hindustan Times) (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT Photo)

With 52.2mm rain over 12 hours on Monday, the city broke a 10-year record for the highest seasonal rainfall. From June 1 to September 9 (8.30pm), Mumbai recorded 3,342.9mm rain against the previous high of 3,327.9 mm, recorded between June and September 2010.

In the first nine days of this month (September 1 to Monday 8.30pm), the total rainfall recorded in Mumbai (Santacruz weather observatory) touched 789mm, making it the highest rainfall for September since 1994, with another 21 days to go for the month.

According to data (1950-2019) from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), while the highest all-time September rain was recorded in 1954 at 920mm, 904.6mm rain was recorded during September 1993. In September 1981, the city received 821mm.

Over the past decade, before 2019, Mumbai had recorded 756.5mm rain in September 2016 and 744.1mm in the same month in 2005. The average rainfall for the month of September is 327.1mm. Mumbai is also set to surpass its highest seasonal average rainfall in 10 years. “In just the first five days of September, Mumbai recorded a mammoth 500mm rain, which is a rare weather event,” said Sunil Kamble, scientist, IMD Mumbai. “This was due to the presence of five weather systems activating monsoon conditions at the same time: an offshore trough; two cyclonic circulations – one over Madhya Pradesh and the other north of Mumbai; an east-west shear zone, and a well-marked low-pressure area over the Bay of Bengal.”

Mumbai had recorded its lowest monthly rainfall in 27 years last September, with only 73.1mm rain over 30 days.

Meanwhile, on Monday, Santacruz recorded 52.2mm rain while 3.2mm was recorded in Colaba between 8.30am and 8.30pm. “Rain intensity is likely to reduce as we go through the week. Currently, few spells of heavy rain are expected across isolated areas, while mostly light to moderate showers will continue,” said Kamble.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s only Doppler weather radar remains dysfunctional for the fifth consecutive day.