The month gone by is the wettest November since 2015 in Chennai, which experienced rains for 22 of 30 days. The observatory in Nungambakkam recorded 1044.3mm of rainfall in November 2021 — just 4.5 mm short of the 1049mm rainfall recorded in November 2015 — that caused unprecedented floods and inundated Chennai.
This is the third time that Chennai’s rainfall crossed the 1,000-mm mark in the month of November. The highest November rainfall so far is 1088mm, recorded in 1918, followed by 1049mm in 2015. In October 2005, Chennai received 1078mm rainfall as the northeast monsoon picked up momentum immediately after its onset.
This year, not just in the month of November, has been bountiful for Chennai with rains lashing the city every month, barring March, and sparing a water crisis. The city achieved the monthly average for November during the northeast monsoon (NEM) in the first eight days of the month. While the average rainfall for November is 37.4cm, the city received 41.5cm rainfall from November 1 to 8, according to IMD data.
The IMD data also showed that while Nungambakkam recorded rains for 22 days, the observatory in Meenambakkam, located on the outskirts, reported rains for 23 days of November. The most significant spell was of 20cm rainfall — in a few hours between November 6 and 7 — flooded several upscale areas and low-lying localities.
The city also recorded incessant rains for a few days in the second and third weeks of November, forcing the closure of schools and colleges for most of the month. Weather bloggers attributed “dryline thunderstorms” and “weak systems” in the Bay of Bengal as reasons for the city receiving heavy rainfall since October-end.
K Srikanth, a weather blogger, told Deccan Herald that the pattern of the monsoon is changing as the number of rainy days could be fewer but with heavier spells.
“I think we are going to see heavier spells in the future over fewer days. Though the number of rainy days could be fewer, the rainfall average will be the same. Oceans are getting warmer and there is more moisture. When the moisture is high, we get more rains,” he said.
Srikanth said 2021 has been a “very good year” for Chennai when it comes to rains. The reservoirs that supply drinking water to the city are full, in what is good news for its residents. The city did not experience any drought or water shortage in 2021 partly due to lessons learnt in 2019 when the water crisis hit Chennai and the continued rains since January.
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