Deficit monsoon but surplus October

Despite a poor monsoon through the season, October - officially considered the post-monsoon month in the city - has already recorded excessive rainfall, nearly two times the month's normal expected amount.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday stated that the average normal expected during October is only 64.9 mm in Colaba and 62.9 mm in Santacruz. This year, however, the month has already received 150.4 mm and 222.3 mm rainfall respectively in the two stations.

"The official monsoon season, from June 1 to September 30, ended with a severe deficit of more than 250 mm. We are now calculating an excess of 122.8 mm and 198.5 mm in Colaba and Santacruz. And the showers have not waned yet. We are expecting a few spells of thundershowers and isolated rainfall in the next few days," said IMD director K Sathidevi.

Such intensive activities are unusual in October. A record of the month's rainfall in the city showed that Colaba experienced such extreme showers only once in the past 10 years - in 2006, when the month's total climbed to 246 mm. In Santacruz, heavy October rains were recoded twice - once in 1999 at 222 mm and again in 2006 at 238.6 mm. MET data show that Santacruz has seen 111.1 mm rainfall in just 24 hours, ending Tuesday morning.

Sathidevi said, "Not just Mumbai, most parts of the state have experienced increased activities over the past week, crossing the deficit line. However, we have officially ended the monsoon month with a deficit; this is now termed as the post-monsoon period." Across the state, heavy rainfall was recorded in Karjat - 25 cm; Matheran, Kalyan, Bhiwandi, and Ulhasnagar - 21 cm each; Ambernath - 19 cm; Panvel, Dharavi - 15 cm each, on Tuesday. Good showers were recorded on the ghats: Lonavala - 30 cm, Walvan - 24 cm, Shirota -12 cm, Wangaon and Dungerwadi - 9 cm each. Lakes like Tulsi received 8 cm, Vihar and Bhatsa - 7 cm each, Tansa - 6 cm, Vaitarna - 5 cm and Upper Vaitarna - 3 cm.

Meanwhile, the relative humidity rose to 95 per cent on Tuesday. The temperatures remained low at 26.7 °C and 27 °C maximum and 23.1 °C and 22.4 °C minimum in Colaba and Santacruz.