Delhi experienced a historic downpour on Friday, recording 228.1 mm of rainfall, the highest for June since 1936. The Safdarjung Observatory, the city’s primary weather station, noted this exceptional amount, surpassing the monthly average of 74.1 mm and marking the most significant June rainfall in at least 16 years. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) attributes this heavy rainfall to a combination of strong southeasterly winds from the Bay of Bengal and an upper air cyclonic circulation, which intensified from June 25 onwards.
The IMD explained that the heavy rainfall resulted from an upper air cyclonic circulation over central and north Bay of Bengal, which strengthened the monsoon currents over both the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. This led to the formation of a low-pressure area over the northwest Bay of Bengal and adjacent north Odisha-Gangetic West Bengal coasts by June 27. Additionally, an anticyclone centered northeast of Delhi provided strong upper-level divergence, further enhancing the convergence of moist air in the region, resulting in intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall.
This extreme weather event is significant as Delhi typically receives around 650 mm of rainfall throughout the entire monsoon season. Remarkably, the city recorded one-third of this total on the first day of heavy rain. According to the IMD, this marks the second-highest June rainfall in Delhi since 1901, with the highest being 235.5 mm recorded on June 24, 1936. The IMD has forecast more heavy to very heavy rainfall over the weekend, putting the city on an “orange” alert.
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