97% of annual rain received, city set to get excess rainfall

MUMBAI: The city has already recorded almost its entire annual average rainfall, with a month still to go for the south-west monsoon to complete its four-month cycle.

MUMBAI: The city has already recorded almost its entire annual average rainfall, with a month still to go for the south-west monsoon to complete its four-month cycle.

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The average rainfall in the city is 2,258mm every year.

On Wednesday, the Santacruz weather station, representative of Mumbai, recorded 2,183mm rain till 5.30pm. It means the city has received 97% of its annual average rainfall and is just 75mm short of completing the annual average.

Weathermen said as the southwest monsoon begins its withdrawal process, the possibility of heavy rainfall is likely during the second half of September. “The weather bureau had predicted a 6% surplus rainfall for the entire country before the setting in of the south-west monsoon. With almost a month still to go, Mumbai and some parts of the Konkan coast will definitely be a part of that 6% excess for the season,” said Biswajit Mukhopadhyay, additional director general, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Mukhopadhyay said the upper air circulation over Arabian Sea, responsible for rain last week in Mumbai, has faded away. “We expect conditions to be favourable for some rain from the second week of September,” he said.

Meanwhile, the suburbs recorded 0.2 mm rain between 8.30am and 5.30pm on Wednesday, while negligible rain was recorded in south Mumbai. Between 8.30am Tuesday and 8.30am Wednesday, Santacruz and Colaba both recorded 1.8mm rain. Under the IMD’s new classification, 15.6mm to 64.4mm of rain is considered ‘moderate’, 64.5mm to 115.5mm is ‘heavy’, 115.6mm to 204.4mm is ‘very heavy’ and more than 204.5mm is ‘extreme’.

While day temperatures were a degree Celsius above normal, recorded around the 31 degree Celsius mark, both at Colaba and Santacruz, night temperatures were closer to normal levels on Wednesday.

Moisture levels were moderate as the suburbs and south Mumbai recorded 83% and 86%.