Heavy Rain Soaks India as Monsoonal Moisture Advances

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

June 17,2015; 10:55PM,EDT

 

 

The monsoon season is underway in India with heavy rain expected across some of the country through this weekend.
Moisture from the Arabian Sea will continue to fuel the much awaited monsoonal rain across much of India. This moisture will fuel periods of rain and thunderstorms, some of which will be heavy at times through the week.
Daily downpours, along with thick clouds and cooler air, will impact coastal areas from Surat to Mumbai and farther south to Mangaluru and Kochi.

"Some places will get 50 to 100 mm (2 to 4 inches) of rain daily due to the abundance of moisture in the region," said AccuWeather Meteorologist Rob Richards. "A few places could even get higher amounts."
Another area that is expected to get above-normal rainfall through the weekend will be central India from near Hyderabad northward into eastern Maharashtra, southern Chhattisgarh and southern Odisha.
While not everyday will feature heavy rainfall, thunderstorms will be capable of producing more than 50 mm (2 inches) in only a few hours.
Even though the heaviest rain will be focused on the western coast and in east-central parts of India, scattered showers and thunderstorms will be found across much of India, especially during the afternoons and evenings.
After about 25 mm (1 inch) of rain fell this past weekend, showers and thunderstorms will remain south of New Delhi through Friday. This weekend is when moisture will surge back to the north and return the storminess.
Mumbai has already had several wet days recently with 228.9 mm (9.01 inches) of rain falling from June 11 to June 16. June 12 was the wettest day with 114 mm (4.50 inches).
Most of the rain across the region falls during the summer monsoon months, with 23.09 inches normally occurring in June. On average, the monsoon season begins June 10 in Mumbai.
As of June 17, India as a whole has reported 11 percent above-normal rainfall for the month, according to the India Meteorological Department. While this is a positive start to the monsoon season, a turn to drier weather during late June and July could still result in a below-normal monsoon season with negative impacts for much of the nation.
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Monsoonal moisture plays a big role in crop farming across the country and the economy highly depends on it. While the rain is happily seen at this time, too much can cause crop damage and create flooding. On the other end, too little will induce drought which can devastate crops and drinking supplies.
According to the AccuWeather Asia Summer Forecast, rainfall during this summer monsoon season is expected to be below normal which will lead to significant drought and devastating impacts on agriculture.
The monsoon will continue to push northward through the rest of the month, eventually reaching New Delhi towards the end of June.
The rain will also help hold temperatures at bay, giving some relief to the deadly heat that swept through the country in May. That heat wave last month was responsible for over 2,300 deaths across the country. Temperatures were so hot that they even melted roads in some cities.