Mumbai received more than 100 millimetres (mm) of rainfall between October 1 and October 11, quite unusual for this time of the year, said officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
The IMD stated that only in four instances (including this year) in the past 10 years did Mumbai experience more than 100 mm of rainfall in the month of October.
According to the figures shared by the IMD’s Santacruz weather station, the city recorded the highest monthly October rainfall (197.7 mm) of the past decade in 2012, followed by 170.1 mm of rainfall in October 2020 and 120.1 mm of rainfall in October 2011. Meanwhile, there has been 117.7 mm of rainfall till now in October this year, the fourth-highest amount of precipitation recorded in the month in the last 10 years.
Notably, the Santacruz observatory recorded 114 mm of rainfall on October 8 (Saturday) alone.
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Weather experts added that considering the current rainfall pattern, the overall rainfall quantity could breach the 120-mm mark if the monsoon does not retreat anytime soon.
“It has only rained heavily for 24 hours in October this year and the quantity of rainfall recorded between October 7 and 8 is equivalent to the overall monthly rainfall figure,” said Sushma Nair, a scientist at IMD, Mumbai.
Nair said light-to-moderate spells of rainfall will continue in the city till the end of this weekend and there is a forecast for thunderstorms as well.
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“The rainfall in Mumbai is occurring due to a climatic trough that has extended between coastal Andhra Pradesh and interior parts of Maharashtra… owing to which there has been moisture in the air leading to rainfall in the city and its adjoining areas,” Nair said.
Mahesh Palawat, a weather expert and meteorologist from Skymet Weather Services, said there is a possibility of monsoon withdrawal from Maharashtra in the next 10 days.
“Between September and October, two low-pressure points had developed in the Bay of Bengal which later moved towards Madhya Pradesh. Whenever there is a low-pressure movement in central India, rainfall in Maharashtra and Gujarat intensifies. This is the reason why we are recording rainfall in October this year,” said Palawat.
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“The monsoon may now start gradually retreating from Maharashtra but it will take at least 10 days to make a concrete prediction on this,” he added.
Source: https://indianexpress.com/article/cities/mumbai/mumbai-october-rainfall-figure-breaches-100-mm-mark-in-2022-8204470/
