Officials say yesterday’s rain was the outcome of excessive atmospheric humidity; Monday became the hottest day of August since 2009, as daytime temperature touched 32.5°C
Any hopes that the rains have made a comeback to the city after a long dry spell are futile, as weather experts claimed yesterday’s showers were temporary.
Youths riding triple seat scurry for cover as sporadic showers lashed Thane yesterday morning. Pic/Sameer Markande
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According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), yesterday’s rain was the by-product of excessive atmospheric humidity. Besides, the highest daytime temperature for the month of August — in the last seven years — was recorded on Monday (32.5° Celsius).
The IMD’s Colaba observatory recorded 10.9 mm rainfall from Monday 8 am to Tuesday 8 am, while 2.8 mm of rainfall was recorded in Santacruz for the same time period. So far, since the start of monsoon, Mumbai has recorded 61.59 per cent of the season’s rainfall. For the same period last year, it was 75.58 per cent.
Official speak
“The rainfall on Tuesday didn’t occur due to natural weather system, it was the outcome of a phenomenon called ‘convection’. It occurs when vapours emitted from the earth are converted into clouds due to excessive humidity.
That is the reason why the city experienced isolated spells of rain on Tuesday. Such rainfall is sporadic and doesn’t last long,” said K S Hosalikar, director, IMD, adding, “Even the nighttime temperature has been a degree or two above normal.”
When asked if the wet spell will continue, Hosalikar said a low-pressure belt is expected to form over the Bay of Bengal around August 27-28. This he said will provide good rain to the Vidarbha, but the city will have to wait.
Less rainfall than usual
Earlier this month, weather agencies had predicted brief spells of rain towards the end of August against the usual downpour. Experts said rain in July and August makes up for more than 70 per cent of the season’s rainfall.
But this year, due to lack of a strong offshore trough in the Arabian Sea, the Western coast has experienced less rainfall than usual. August was mostly dry, as the trough was concentrated in Northern India.
Matter of concern
It should be noted that this has been one of the hottest August in the last seven years. While the maximum daytime temperature on Monday was 32.5°C, it had never crossed 32°C after August 20, 2009. The daytime temperature on this day was recorded at 32.5°C degrees.
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