Heavy Rain Soaks India as Monsoonal Moisture Advances

By Jordan Root, Meteorologist

June 20,2015; 9:28PM,EDT

 

 

The monsoon season is underway in India with heavy rain expected across some of the country into early next week.
Moisture from the Arabian Sea will continue to fuel the much awaited monsoonal rain across western India. This moisture will fuel periods of rain and thunderstorms, some of which will be heavy at times through the start of next 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.

"Many 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."
Mumbai was one of those locations to see higher amounts; 13 inches of rain has fallen since Thursday morning local time. A total of 35 inches of rain has fallen in the past 3 days. The rain shows no signs of letting up with daily downpours expected over the next few days.
Most of the rain across Mumbai falls during the summer monsoon months, with 23.09 inches normally falling in June. On average, the monsoon season begins June 10 in Mumbai. Rain arrived this season within a few days of average.
Another area that is expected to get above-normal rainfall through the weekend will be central India from near Hyderabad eastward to northern Andhra Pradesh, southern Chhattisgarh and southern Odisha. This includes Visakhapatnam, Raipur and Nagpur.
"There could be a day [east of Hyderabad] when some place picks up 150 to 250 mm (6 to 10 inches) of rain," stated AccuWeather Meteorologist Adam Douty.
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.
This weekend is when moisture will surge back to the north toward New Delhi and return the storminess.
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Any shower or thunderstorm around New Delhi will be spotty and be confined to the afternoon but will bring temporary cooling amid the recent surge of heat.
"The thunderstorm activity will turn more active next week around New Delhi, but the city will continue to escape the widespread heavy rain and thunderstorms that will occur to the south," added Douty.
As of June 19, India as a whole has reported 10 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.
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.
Meteorologist Eric Leister and Adam Douty contributed to this story.