Delhi rainfall so far this monsoon season highest in 46 years; record-breaking spree continues

It has been a bountiful September for Delhi, with 343.6 mm of rainfall recorded so far this month, which is the highest in at least 12 years

With more than 130 mm rainfall since last evening that threw normal life out of gear, Delhi on Saturday logged a 46-year seasonal high of 1137 mm rainfall as September turned out to be much more bountiful than the previous two months.

As more rains are expected in the northwest and central India over the next 4-5 days, it is likely that Delhi may even breach the 1975 record of 1155 mm rainfall for the season as monsoon withdrawal is unlikely for at least another 8-10 days.

This year’s seasonal rainfall has already surpassed the 2003 milestone of 1052 mm rainfall and is on its way to the 1975 mark or may even touch the 1964’s record of 1191 mm, depending on how the sky opens up in the next few days. The season’s best record was seen in 1933 when Delhi logged a record of 1420.3 mm of monsoon rainfall.

Traditionally, the southwest monsoon used to retreat from Rajasthan by the first week of September and traversed the breadth of the country over the next four weeks to close the four-month-long southwest monsoon season by the end of September.

Also Read | Heavy rains delay flights in Delhi, snarl traffic

The pattern seems to have changed in recent years.

“This year we do not foresee monsoon withdrawal from north-west India before the end of the second week of September,” Mrutyunjay Mahapatra, director general, India Meteorological Department told DH.

Last year too the withdrawal of monsoon from northwest India began on September 28 – after a delay of 11 days. The rainfall was more than 50% normal.

The Saturday’s incessant rain disrupted air traffic and flooded a part of Delhi terminal, Aerocity and other areas in Delhi-NCR. The forecourt of the Delhi airport was waterlogged, three flights were cancelled and five diverted to Jaipur and Ahmedabad.

The Aerocity area -- which houses multiple luxury hotels -- near the airport was also waterlogged in the morning. Waterlogging was reported from several parts of the national capital including Moti Bagh and RK Puram in south Delhi.

See more: In Pics: Massive flooding in Delhi-NCR after record-breaking rain

Four domestic flights -- two of SpiceJet and one each of IndiGo and Go First -- were diverted to Jaipur while one international flight -- Emirates flight from Dubai to Delhi -- was diverted to Ahmedabad. Three IndiGo flights that were scheduled to depart from Delhi were cancelled.

The second heavy downpour of September comes days after a deficient August when the all India rainfall was 9% deficient than the average precipitation.

Explaining the reasons behind such heavy rains, Mahapatra said there had been three low-pressure zones in the Bay of Bengal this month and a fourth one was brewing, which would lead to more rains in Odisha and central India in the next 4-5 days.

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