Monsoon in Mumbai had a rather electric start this year. The city recorded 1174 mm of rain in the month of June, against the monthly average of 523 mm. In fact, Mumbai crossed its monthly normal for June in just three days this year. The city went on to record 604 mm of rain in three days.
However, July wasn’t so impressive for Mumbai in terms of rainfall received. The city received just 359 mm of rain against the monthly normal of 800 mm. It must be noted that usually July is the rainiest month for the city. Also, 359 mm is Mumbai’s lowest rainfall for July in last 10 years.
Mumbaikars had high hopes from August which is also known to bring good amounts of rain in the city. But it seems as if Monsoon decided to ditch Mumbai in the month of August too. The city received only 154.1 mm of rainfall (Santa Cruz Observatory) against the monthly average of 530 mm. This is the lowest amount of rainfall recorded in Mumbai in last 10 years. Prior to this, 256.3 mm of rain recorded in August 2013 was the lowest in ten years.
The city mainly receives Monsoon rains due to an active off-shore trough. This year, however, no significant contribution has been made by the off-shore trough which has remained work-shy. Thus, Mumbai has been receiving poor rains since last two months now. In the last 10 days, the city has recorded just 47 mm of rain.
As we step into September, it must be remembered that rainfall in the city usually shows a declining trend during this part of the year. Southwest Monsoon too begins to withdraw from India during this time of the year. Mumbai’s normal for September stands at a humble 312 mm. With both July and August recording below normal rains this year, currently the city falls way short of the normal rainfall mark. Rainfall in September will most likely fail to bridge the wide gap between normal and actual rains in the city.
Image Credit: Baltimoresun.com
