Delhi: June 28 rain in Delhi not due to cloudburst, says IMD

The torrential rain that paralysed Delhi last week was not due to a cloudburst, clarified the India Meteorological Department on Monday.

IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, addressing a press conference, disclosed that the Safdarjung Observatory, Delhi’s primary weather station, recorded 91 mm of rainfall between 5 am and 6 am on June 28. Similarly, the Lodhi Road weather station logged 64 mm from 5 am to 6 am and 89 mm from 6 am to 7 am.

“While these figures do not meet the criteria for a cloudburst, they were very close,” Mohapatra said.

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The extreme weather event was attributed to multiple large-scale monsoonal weather systems that triggered mesoscale convective activity over Delhi NCR, causing intense thunderstorms and heavy rainfall during the early hours of June 28. This activity was exacerbated by thermodynamic instability in the atmosphere, which favours thunderstorm formation.

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In the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, the Safdarjung Observatory recorded 228.1 mm of rainfall, more than three times the June average of 74.1 mm and the highest for the month in 88 years, since 1936.

According to IMD classifications, rainfall exceeding 124.5 mm in a day qualifies as very heavy rain. (With inputs from PTI)