As heavy rains continued to fall in the northeast, Meghalaya’s Mawsynram, the wettest place in India, recorded an incredible 1003.6 mm of precipitation in 24 hours ending 8:30 a.m. on Friday, the highest ever on a June day, according to the IMD, while neighbouring Cherrapunji received 972 mm.
The rainfall in Cherrapunji, also one of the wettest places in the world and at an aerial distance of 10 km from Mawsynram, was the highest in June since 1995 and the third highest in 122 years.
Mawsynram had gauged 710.6 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am Wednesday.
Before Friday’s record rainfall, it had received 944.7 mm of precipitation on 7 June, 1966, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed.
“Mawsynram is at present the wettest place in India, with an average annual rainfall of 11802.4 mm (average of the 1974-2022 period). Cherrapunji receives 11359.4 mm of rainfall in a year (average of the 1971-2020 period),” Sunit Das, Scientist E at IMD’s regional centre in Guwahati, said.
One of the wettest places in the world, Cherrapunji has recorded more than 800 mm of precipitation on a June day on nine occasions since the IMD started keeping records in 1901. Till Friday, Cherrapunji has received a total of 4081.3 mm rainfall this month.
In 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Wednesday, the town nestled in the East Khasi Hills gauged a copious 811.2 mm of rainfall.
“It doesn’t always rain like this. 50-60 cm is normal once or twice every year. But 80 cm and above is certainly not usual,” Said Das.
“A trough has been persisting over the region for some days and southwesterly winds have been continuously bringing a lot of moisture from the Bay of Bengal. These winds smash against the cliffs of the Khasi hills and give rainfall,” he said.
Cherrapunji recorded 673.6 mm of rainfall on Thursday, 811.6 mm on Wednesday, 62.6 mm on Tuesday, 293 mm on Monday and 354 mm on Sunday.
The spell of extreme rainfall is likely to continue for one or two days. Thereafter, the intensity will decrease, Das said. The IMD has issued a red alert, warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Meghalaya and Assam in the next two days.
“A trough at mean sea level runs from northwest Uttar Pradesh to Manipur across Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and Assam. Moisture incursion is very likely to continue due to strong lower-level southerly/southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal during 17-20 June,” it said in a special bulletin.
“Under its influence, widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms/lightning/ heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to continue over northeastern states during 17-20 June and decrease in rainfall intensity thereafter,” the bulletin read.
Overall, the northeast and east India has received 220.3 mm of rainfall, 39 per cent more than normal, since 1 June when the monsoon season starts.
Meghalaya has gauged 865.7 mm of rainfall, 153 per cent more than normal, since 1 June.
Arunachal Pradesh has received 253.1 mm of rain, 22% more than normal, while Assam has received 372.9 mm of rain, a 79% increase.
However, not all of the states in the region have received adequate rainfall. Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura have reported 50%, 46%, and 38% rainfall deficits, respectively.