After downpour, Mumbai cuts its June rain deficit to 3%, suburbs left with 22% shortfall

MUMBAI: After a prolonged dry spell, many parts of the island city recorded heavy rainfall on Monday night, thus reducing its rain deficit for the month of June to nearly 3% . The suburbs, however, witnessed light showers and a rain shortfall of 22%.
For Wednesday, weathermen have predicted heavy rain at isolated places.
In the 12 hours ending at 8.30am on Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Colaba observatory recorded 101.2mm of rainfall and the Santacruz observatory, 11.2mm.Between 8.30am and 8.30pm, it didn’t rain in the island city, but the suburbs received 0.2mm rainfall. Weathermen said that the suburbs and adjoining areas of Navi Mumbai and Thane received light rain as there were no monsoon cloud bands over the region.
The southwest monsoon officially covered Mumbai on June 14, but so far there has been only one intense rain spell on June 18. The total monthly rainfall recorded till June 30 (8.30am) by the Colaba station was 524.5mm—16.4mm below its required average of 540.9mm. During the same period, the Santacruz observatory recorded 395mm of rain—110mm short of the 505mm required average.
Even as historical data by the IMD (Santacruz rainfall figures are considered) show that Mumbai’s total June rainfall has been the lowest in the last six years —in June 2014, it was 87.3mm —weathermen have predicted an increase in the rainfall activity over Mumbai in the first week of July. The IMD has issued a yellow alert and forecast heavy rain at isolated places being very likely between July 2 and 4. For Wednesday, it has forecast thunderstorm accompanied with lightning/gusty winds and heavy rain at isolated places.
Weather officials said they had already indicated that rainfall is likely to increase on the west coast of Maharashtra covering north Konkan which includes Mumbai, from July 2. “Mumbai and surrounding areas are likely to experience heavy rainfall from July 2 to 4,” said K S Hosalikar, deputy directorgeneral (western region), IMD.