Cherrapunji gets third highest rainfall in 122 years in 24 hrs

New Delhi: After recording 811.6 mm of rainfall in 24 hours  just two days ago, Cherrapunji in Meghalaya received a bountiful 972 mm of precipitation in 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Friday, the  highest in June since 1995 and the third highest in 122 years.

Cherrapunji recorded 673.6 mm of rainfall on Thursday, 811.6 mm on Wednesday, 62.6 mm on Tuesday, 293 mm on Monday and 354 mm on Sunday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) data showed that Cherrapunji has received a total of 4081.3 mm rainfall till Friday. In 24 hours ending 8:30 am on Wednesday, the town nestled in the East Khasi Hills gauged a copious 811.2 mm of rainfall.

On June 16, 1995, Cherrapunji logged 1563.3 mm of rainfall. A day before, on June 15, 1995, it received 930 mm of precipitation. “One of the wettest places in the world, Cherrapunji has recorded more than 800 mm of precipitation on a June day on nine occasions since the IMD started keeping records in 1901, the IMD data showed.

The hill station reported 973.8 mm of precipitation on June 5, 1956. The spell of extreme rainfall is likely to continue for one or two days. Thereafter, the intensity will decrease, the IMD



said.

At an aerial distance of 10 km from Cherrapunji, Mawsynram, the wettest place in India, gauged 710.6 mm of rainfall in 24 hours ending 8:30 am Wednesday, the maximum since June 1966.

On June 10, 1966, Mawsynram had recorded 717.6 mm of rainfall. On June 7, 1966, it had received 944.7 mm of precipitation, the highest on a June day since the IMD began maintaining records. The town had gauged a 24-hour rainfall of 623.4 mm on June 8, 2015.

The IMD has issued a red alert, warning of very heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in Meghalaya and Assam in the next two days. "A trough at mean sea level runs from northwest Uttar Pradesh to Manipur across Bihar, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and Assam. Moisture incursion is very likely to continue due to strong lower-level southerly/southwesterly winds from the Bay of Bengal during June 17-20," it said in a special bulletin.

"Under its influence, widespread rainfall accompanied with thunderstorms/lightning/ heavy to very heavy with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places is very likely to continue over northeastern states.