According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Mumbai topped the charts by being the rainiest city in India on Wednesday, however rainfall will come down considerably during the next 24 hours. Other than Mumbai, heavy rain continued in West Bengal as the circulation persists here.
Here’s a look at our our list of top ten rainiest cities in India on Wednesday:
| Cities | State | Rainfall (in millimetres) |
| Mumbai | Maharashtra | 120 |
| Midnapore | West Bengal | 99 |
| Burdwan | West Bengal | 84 |
| Alibag | Maharashtra | 70 |
| Malda | West Bengal | 69.3 |
| Gaya | Bihar | 68 |
| Contai | West Bengal | 62 |
| Sriniketan | West Bengal | 43 |
| Dahanu | Maharashtra | 40 |
| Cherrapunji | Meghalaya | 40 |
Weather in Gujarat has never been so dry in the Monsoon season. Light rain in the last 24 hours in some cities of Gujarat did little to bring relief from the sultry weather. And Ahmedabad in particular has been extremely unlucky, as the city has not observed any rain since mid-May.
On Wednesday night, light rain was observed in Surat, Amreli, Dwarka, Porbandar and Baroda but the rain belt failed to reach Ahmedabad. Weather records of Ahmedabad are alarming, with only 1 mm of rain (18th June) in over a month.
While the eastern arm of the monsoon line or the NLM (Northern Limit of Monsoon) advanced into Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh, the western arm has been stagnant for over fifteen days. The NLM had reached Surat and Veraval on the 16th June, which led to good spell of rain over many cities in Saurashtra and south Gujarat. The weather went dry thereafter.
In the next 24 hours, light isolated rain may occur in cities like Surat and Baroda but Ahmedabad may still have to wait for a week or more to experience any rain.
“Chances of rain look dismal for atleast next four to five days as there isn't any strong system affecting north Gujarat. Temperatures will be significantly above normal in the region”, said AVM (Retd) G.P Sharma.
Currently, the maximum temperature in Ahmedabad is seen recording four notches above the normal average, at 39.4⁰C. Nights too are very warm and uncomfortable with minimum hovering around 28⁰C. Meanwhile, the weather is expected to remain partly cloudy but there are no chances of rain.
Monsoon in the month of June has been the driest in the last ten years. In 2009, the long period average rainfall in June was 85 mm against the normal of 170 mm. However, this year, it has been only 81 mm, which has raised the cumulative rain deficit to 43% (till 1st July).
Weather alert for Delhi-NCR issued at 16.04 hrs
Intermittent showers to continue in Delhi-NCR for next 24 hours
Weather alert for Uttar Pradesh issued at 14.55 hrs
Light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely at some places in Agra, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Etah, Gautam Buddha Nagar, Ghaziabad, Hapur, Hathras and Mathura districts of Uttar Pradesh with strong winds ranging between 50 kmph and 70 kmph during the next 2 to 6 hours.
Weather alert for Punjab issued at 14.50 hrs
In the next 2 to 4 hours, light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely in Barnala, Bathinda, Firozpur, Mansa, Moga and Muktsar districts with strong winds ranging between 40 kmph and 60 kmph.
Weather alert for Haryana issued at 14.40 hrs
Light to moderate rain and thundershowers are likely at some places in Bhiwani, Faridabad, Fatehabad, Gurgaon, Hisar, Jhajjar, Jind, Kaithal, Karnal, Mahendragarh, Mewat, Panipat, Rewari, Rohtak and Sonipat districts with strong winds ranging between 50 kmph and 70 kmph during the next 1 to 2 hours.
Rain in Delhi on Wednesday was heavy in many pockets of the city however, it is yet to be widespread and evenly distributed. Our weathermen explain that good rain in one part of Delhi and scanty in another is not a typical Monsoon feature but a definite precursor to the onset of Monsoon over the capital.
In the last 24 hours, rainfall figures looked rather uneven: Safadarjung 4 mm, Gurgaon 36 mm, Ridge 43 mm, Delhi University 37 mm, Pusa Road 30 mm, Lodhi Road 4 mm, Palam 3.2 mm, Hindon 24 mm.
“Rain is still seen to be patchy in nature and that is because it isn't Monsoon yet. When Monsoon settles in the winds become purely easterlies. Though the surface winds are still easterlies, the depth of the winds remains low, which isn't enough to bring widespread rain”, explains G.P Sharma, AVM (Retd).
As far as the temperature profile is concerned, that too isn't very low considering that the cloud cover is not very thick and rains are confined to morning or evening hours. Moreover, good sunshine for even about one to three hours is enough to raise the mercury significantly.
On Wednesday, the maximum temperature in Delhi recorded 36.6⁰C at Safdarjung and 38.2⁰C at the Palam Observatory, which was about a notch above the normal average. The expected maximum temperature in Delhi on Thursday is 36⁰C, whereas on Friday it may rise by a degree to settle around 37⁰C.
According to Skymet, few showers are likely in Delhi-NCR during late night on Thursday or early Friday morning. The spell of rain will continue to make the weather very pleasant. The morning minimum recorded at the Safdarjung Observatory on Thursday morning was 26.1⁰C, one degree below normal.
Photo by Ritika Acharya.
In contrast to the rainy weather in Mumbai, weather in South India has been more or less dry this week with subdued rain activity in all four states. And according to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, Monsoon rain will continue to be little this week with less chances of a revival. In fact the weather is so dry in some parts of Andhra Pradesh that it has led to a heat wave condition in the thick of Monsoon season.
Barring one or two good spells in Mangalore and Kochi in the last 48 hours, rain has been below 10 mm in most cities of South India since the start of the week. Bangalore and Chennai which received some heavy showers from Saturday to Monday, also turned dry after Tuesday. Hyderabad has been completely dry for the last few days and Thiruvananthapuram has had only 11 mm of rain in the last one week.
Here's how the rainfall figures have looked in the last 24 hours: Thiruvananthapuram 0.2 mm, Kochi – traces of rain, Mangalore 2.2 mm, Honavar 2.2 mm, Karnwar 5.8 mm and Panaji 4 mm. Rain was nil in Bangalore, Hyderabad, Chennai, Kottayam and Alappuzha.
“We need not reiterate that Monsoon in India has been affected by El Nino this year and it has also gripped South India which earlier looked like being safe from the effect of a weak Monsoon”, says AVM (Retd) G.P Sharma.
Meanwhile, another very unusual feature is being observed in Andhra Pradesh. In the middle of the Monsoon season, a heat wave condition is prevailing in the state. In the absence of rain, maximum temperatures at many places including the coastal areas have been recording hovering around 40⁰C, which is 4 to 6 degrees Celsius above normal.
On Wednesday, the day temperature recorded 41.1⁰C at Machilipatnam. Ongole was 41⁰C and Ramagundum, Hanamkonda and Vijaywada recorded 40⁰C.
“Such high temperatures are likely to sustain or may drop only marginally due to lack of rain in Andhra Pradesh despite a westerly flow of winds. High humidity may further add to the discomfort. This week the weather in South India on a whole will not be too rainy”, added G.P Sharma.
After a dry spell of over a month, Mumbai is finally receiving some good rain. The city recorded 207 mm of rain on Wednesday, which is close to the five-year high of 215 mm recorded - in a span of 24 hours - in 2013.
Rain in Mumbai was mainly observed during the first half of the day. In a span of three hours, from 8.30 am to 11.30 am on Wednesday, Mumbai recorded 104 mm of heavy rain. And from 11.30 am to 2.00 pm it was 50 mm, reducing thereafter.
Notably, the adjoining areas which usually see heavy rain at the time Mumbai receives Monsoon showers are observing a sharp decline. Ratnagiri experienced a meager 18 mm of rain in the last 24 hours.
Konkan and Goa, known for heavy rain is also not witnessing any major activity at the moment. It is only Mumbai that is experiencing some good showers. The orography seems to be playing a significant role in accentuating this kind of a weather activity.
Meanwhile, intermittent light to moderate showers will continue in Mumbai for the next 48 hours.
July is the rainiest month for the city, with an average rainfall of 800 mm. There are about 23 rainy days during the month and maximums settle around 30 degrees Celsius. Minimums too settle in the lower twenties.
Indian jeera or cumin seed futures ended down on a lack of the fresh export demand, while higher local supplies also kept away any fresh buying interest of the traders. Export demand for jeera or cumin seed is likely to rise in coming days which may lift up the spot prices in key markets of Gujarat state, according to the trader.
