Record-breaking rain lashes city this March

Record-breaking rain lashes city this March
Amit S Upadhye | TNN

Bangalore: Rain in March? Figures of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) suggest that it is extremely unusual. The state recorded 86.4 millimetres rainfall during the week ending March 26, 5,760% more than weekly rainfall that is typical of this month. The last week of March is expected to receive about 1.5 mm rainfall.
The total rainfall this month in the state, till March 26, is 2,126% more than what is expected this month. The state received 110.6 mm rainfall while it generally records about 5.2 mm during these 26 days.
“It is a rare occasion where the premonsoon showers have gone past the quantity of South West monsoon in a single week. The rainfall of 86.4 mm across the state during the week ended March 26, with excess rainfall in all districts, is a better quantity of rainfall than the actual monsoon,’’ IMD Bangalore Meteorologist B Puttanna, told TOI.
Northern parts of Bangalore received recorded more than 100 mm rainfall on March 26 night. The Air Force Weather Station in Yelahanka recorded 114 mm rainfall.
“The rainfall is expected to reduce, provided no further weather system is developed. There is already a low pressure area over the Bay of Bengal, but it is too early to comment whether it will bring rain for the state and Bangalore. We are keeping a close watch on the development and radars on the east coast are analysing its directions,’’ Puttanna explained.
While the rainfall across the state has relatively reduced, it continued to rain in Bangalore, Kolar and Tumkur. This was because of low pressure prevailing over South East Arabian sea off the Kerala-Karnataka coast. The low pressure is associated with a upper air cyclonic circulation where the wind rotates about six kilometres above the sea level and creates clouds with moisture.
Rainfall received at the five rain gauges in and around Bangalore on March 26 night.
(reading till 8.30 am on Thursday): IMD’s City Centre: 18 mm IMD’s Airport Centre: 58.9 mm Air Force Station, Yelahanka:
114 mm GKVK campus: 106 mm NICE’s Somapura clover leaf junction weather monitoring station: 1.3 mm