For fourth time in 121 years, Delhi sees over 1,200 mm of rainfall

Normally, the national capital sees 653.6 mm of rainfall during the monsoon season.

New Delhi: Having already received 1,502.8 mm of rainfall so far this year, Delhi is poised to break the all-time record for annual precipitation. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the national capital gauged 1,534.3 mm of rainfall in 1933, the highest annual precipitation in the 1901-2021 period.

This is only the fourth time in 121 years -- after 1933, 1964 and 1975 -- that Delhi has received more than 1,200 mm of rainfall.

The Safdarjung Observatory, considered the official marker for the city, has recorded 1,502.8mm of rainfall till Monday evening. It is the second-highest rainfall in the capital since 1901 when the IMD started maintaining data, an official said.

To put things into perspective -- Delhi had recorded 773.2 mm of rainfall last year.

"There is a high probability that Delhi will see a new record for annual rainfall this year. Normally, three to four western disturbances are recorded every month in the winter season which leads to snowfall in the hills and rain in the northern plains.

"It's just a matter of one intense western disturbances," said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of Skymet Weather, a private forecasting agency.

Delhi witnessed one of the most delayed and erratic monsoons this year which yielded 1,169.7 mm of rainfall, the third-highest since 1901.

Normally, Delhi records 653.6 mm of rainfall during the monsoon season.

Last year, the capital gauged 576.5 mm of precipitation. It had registered 1,155.6 mm of rainfall in 1975 and 1,190.9 mm in 1964. The all-time record is 1,420.3 mm rainfall in 1933.

It was the third time in the last two decades that the monsoon rainfall in Delhi breached the 1,000 mm mark. The city had recorded 1,031.5 mm of rainfall in the 2010 monsoon season. In 2003, the capital had gauged 1,050 mm of rain.

September, in particular, was bountiful this year in terms of rains.

The capital gauged 413.3mm of rainfall in the month, the highest after 417.3 mm precipitation recorded in September 1944 and the second-highest in 121 years.

The September rainfall this year has been in marked contrast to last year when the city got a meagre 20.9 mm precipitation in the month against a normal of 129.8 mm.

Delhi received good pre-monsoon rainfall in May -- 144.8 mm against the normal of 19.7 mm.

In October, too, the city has gauged 122.5mm of rainfall so far. Normally, only 28 mm precipitation is recorded in the month on average.

Despite the monsoon arriving in Delhi only on July 13, making it the most delayed in 19 years, the capital recorded 16 rainy days in the month, the maximum in the last four years.

The string of rainy days brought 507.1 mm rainfall to the city, which was nearly 141 per cent above the long-period average of 210.6 mm. It was also the maximum rainfall in the month since July 2003, and the second-highest ever.

The city recorded just 10 rainy days in August, the lowest in seven years, and a cumulative rainfall of 214.5 mm, lower than the average of 247 mm.