The wettest spot in the nation, Mawsynram, in the Indian state of Meghalaya, broke a 66-year-old record this week. Meghalaya is widely renowned for the enormous amount of rainfall it receives each year. According to the India Meteorological Department, the town received a massive 1003.6 mm of rain in 24 hours on Friday, the most ever for a day in June (IMD). According to a report, the previous record for the amount of rain that fell at Mawsynram in a single day was 944.7 mm on June 7, 1966.
‘Mawsynram is at present the wettest place in India, with an average annual rainfall of 11802.4 mm (average of the 1974-2022 period). Cherrapunji receives 11359.4 mm of rainfall in a year (average of the 1971-2020 period)’, Sunit Das, Scientist at IMD’s regional centre in Guwahati said.
Around 972 mm of rain fell at Cherrapunji, one of the wettest places on earth, on the same day, making it the highest June rainfall total since 1995 and the third highest total in the previous 122 years.
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While explaining the sudden increase in rainfall, Das said, ‘It doesn’t always rain like this. 50-60 cm is normal once or twice every year. But 80 cm and above is certainly not usual’, adding that ‘a trough has been persisting over the region for some days and south-westerly winds have been continuously bringing a lot of moisture from the Bay of Bengal. These winds smash against the cliffs of the Khasi hills and give rainfall’.
Experts estimate that the 865.7 mm of rain that the state of Meghalaya has received overall since June 1 is roughly 153% more rain than the state typically receives in a year.
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