July rainfall is already above Mumbai's nine-year average

Rain gods could do with some rest in the last ten days of July. The city has already received more rainfall than the last nine years’ average in the first 20 days of the month itself.

The island city has received 677.1 mm of rainfall until July 20 this year while the suburbs have received 983.3 mm. The average rainfall received in the island city since 2001 has been 635.01 mm, while it is 821.1 mm in the suburban areas. The figures are based on statistics provided by the civic disaster management cell.

Barring 2005, where a single rain event on July 26 emptied 944 mm onto the city, and 2006, when it rained heavily during the first week of July, rains received so far this July is above the total rainfall recorded in July since 2001.

Mumbai has so far seen heavy rains on three July days this monsoon—July 4, 13 and 14. If the rain pattern does not deviate from the normal occurrence of big rain events in July, then the worst may well be over. Based on statistics provided by the cell, July usually witnesses two or three big rain events. In 2005, it only rained very heavily (above 100 mm) on two different occasions. There were four big rain events in 2006, however.

The meteorological department has predicted intermittent rains with thundershowers in parts of the city in the next 48 hours. Since June this year, the island city has received 916.22 mm of rainfall, while suburbs have got 1175.2 mm.