Pune witnessed the driest June in a decade
Southwest Monsoon normally arrives here by the 10th of June and before its arrival, the city observes rain of reduced intensity but at frequent intervals. The normal rainfall in Pune in the month of June is 116 mm but this time the city received only 14 mm of rain. The city did not receive any rain after the 19th and highest amount of rainfall recorded was 5 mm on the 4th of June. This is in stark contrast to previous years (2013, 2010, 2005) when rainfall figures in the month of June have often exceeded 250 mm. Prior to this, 13 mm of rain on 18th June, 2012 was the lowest recorded in Pune in a span of 24 hours in the last ten years.
July followed Monsoonal trend
Rain picked up after the 10th of July but intensity remained light with the highest amount of 27 mm rain recorded on the 22nd and 21 mm on the 23rd of July. Till now the city has been observing light rain almost everyday with the monthly total till date being 114 mm.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Pune has been witnessing Monsoonal weather now with frequent short spells of rain throughout the day. Maximums have also been consistently less than 30⁰C. The diurnal variations have also been very low with minimums in low-twenties and maximums in high-twenties.
Meanwhile, rain figures from previous years show that the lowest monthly total (July) rainfall in Pune has been 60 mm, in the year 2007. The heaviest amount of rain (in the month of July) in Pune in a decade has been 411 mm, in the year 2006. The all-time record of heaviest rain in Pune in the month of July in a day has been 130 mm, on 19th July 1958.
picture courtesy- akshara rajaram