133 mm rain in Pune sets new record after 1896

According to authorities at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune recorded 133 mm of rain in 24 hours — from 8.30 am on September 25 to 8.30 am on September 26 — and thereby broke the previous record stand for most rainfall ever experienced in the city during September since records began in the year,1896. But rains that July and August had promised continued to fail for the rest of September, creating one of the worst September rainfall deficits on record until mid-month rains at least partically alleviated them, continuing through Sept. 26.

As of September 15, the city has recorded only 21.3 mm of rain against an average monthly precipitation of 146.3 mm However, the city surpassed its September shortfall and received above-average rainfall when the final four days gleaned increasing precipitation, then added a record for most precipitation in a 24-hour period. The city recorded 196.2 mm of the rainfall by 8:30 am on September 26, which is 49.9 mm more than the ordinary, according to IMD data.

The period of seasonal rainfall in Pune too has been observed to be substantially greater than normal. As per IMD records, Pune receives an average monsoon rainfall of 638.2 mm annually for the months of June, July, August and September together However, the city was almost 400 mm wetter than normal during the monsoon season with approximately 1,121.5 mm of rain fell on Las Vegas. It also marked the most seasonal precipitation since 2008. The 1,071.9 mm of rainfall was the second-highest total ever measured in 2019

After a single intense event on September 25 in the city, there was a decrease in the amount of rainfall on September 26 as compared to previous days. Despite the orange signal, moderate to heavy rain are continuing in and around the city. Various places across Pune also witnessed light showers during evening including 4.1 mm rain recorded till 5:30 pm in Shivajinagar.

“Since the horizon for LRF (Long Range Forecast) is up to September 29, and it rains around that time every year in Pune, we expect the rainfall activity to come down after September 27 overall,” said Sanap, who is a senior scientist at IMD Pune. Accordingly, Pune was under the yellow watchlist on September 27 and no rain is in store for the city till end of September 30.