August sees 33 percent less rain than normal in Mumbai, dry spell to continue: IMD

In light of heavy rain battering the city in July when Mumbai recorded a surplus of nearly 50 percent, the city surpassed its seasonal average quota of rainfall on August 24. While the city receives a seasonal average rainfall of 2,319 mm spanning the four monsoon months, the Santacruz observatory has recorded 2432 mm rain so far.

However, of this total quantum, Mumbai’s Santacruz station recorded only 379 mm rain in August this year, failing to surpass its monthly average rain quota of 566 mm. With this, Mumbai has clocked a shortfall of nearly 33 percent from the monthly average.

Prior to this, the city had also recorded a rain deficit in the month of June, this year, when Mumbai logged a negative departure of nearly 35 percent from its monthly June average.

For the record — despite the shortfall in August — the city fared much better than last year, when the Santacruz station recorded only 177.2 mm rainfall in the entire month of August, making it the city’s driest August in at least a decade.

Despite being the city’s second wettest month, Mumbai reeled under a dry spell throughout most of August this year. Barring the previous weekend during which over 100 mm rainfall was recorded, weather systems conducive to heavy rain eluded the coastal region, throughout the month, resulting in a prolonged dry spell.

Furthermore, the month also ended on a dry note as data furnished by the IMD showed that between Saturday (August 31) and Sunday morning (September 1), the Santacruz station registered 0.6 mm rainfall while the Colaba observatory recorded 1 mm rain.

According to the weather bureau, Mumbai’s tryst with moderate showers is here to stay with the IMD forecasting only light to moderate showers — alongside some thunderstorm activity — in the city as well as its neighbouring district of Thane between Monday and Thursday. In Raigad, meanwhile, the department has sounded a yellow warning until Thursday, stating the likelihood of heavy rainfall in isolated pockets.

Meanwhile, the total stock in the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai touched 96.84 per cent on Sunday morning.

This accounts for 14.01 lakh million litres of the total capacity of the lakes. Last year, on the same day, the lake levels had remained at 90 percent.