Hit by heavy rain, Bengaluru is only a few steps away from breaking its record set six decades ago. Need more 33mm rain to break the previous record, reveals experts.
Coldest day in the city
Bengaluru on Thursday registered 22.4 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). Hit by heavy rain, the city is now only a few inches away from breaking its own record set six decades ago.
With this record, Bengaluru could become the wettest May, with only 33 mm of rainfall required to surpass the 1959 record.
According to the reports, the drop in temperature is because of cloud cover, continuous and irregular rain, and strong winds. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the mercury is expected to hover around 23 degrees Celsius on Friday. Earlier on May 13, Bengaluru recorded the second coldest day in May in the last 50 years as the mercury dropped to 23 degrees Celsius in the city.
Highest single-day rain
As an effect of the recent Cyclone Asani, the city has witnessed the coolest weather. According to scientists, the city had witnessed a record rainfall of 287. 1mm in May 1959. “We have already received 254. 1mm of rain till May 18 and require another 33mm to break the 63-year-old record,” said a scientist. The city received 45% of May’s rainfall on a single day (May 17).
The scientist further said, “Even if the city receives an average of about 3mm rainfall for the next 10 days, this May will go down in history as the wettest in Bengaluru. However, citing climate change, IMD officials warned that this phenomenon (very heavy single-day rainfall), which has occurred after several decades, may become frequent.”
The highest single-day rain is not the first time the city has experienced it. The highest single-day rain was recorded in 1959 (159mm). IMD is currently going through the data to ascertain whether the 2022 figure is the second-highest. “We are in the process of analyzing the data to find out where May 17, 2022, stands,” said an official.
