Delhi: Rainfall so far in Oct 2nd highest in 16 years, says IMD

New Delhi: Delhi has recorded 121.7 mm of rainfall in October so far, the second highest in the month since 2007, according to India Meteorological Department data.

The city recorded 25.3 mm rainfall on Saturday, 74.3 mm on Sunday and 21.8 mm on Monday.

The rainfall so far this month is around four times the normal rainfall of 28 mm and three times the precipitation recorded (41.6 mm) in August, which is the wettest month of the monsoon season.

The national capital received a record 122.5 mm of rainfall in October last year.

The city did not receive any rain in October 2020, 2018 and 2017 and logged 47.3 mm of rainfall in October 2019.

The ongoing rainfall is the second prolonged spell within three weeks.

The capital had logged a late spell of monsoon rains from September 21 to September 24 due to an interaction between a cyclonic circulation and a low-pressure system.

However, the current rains in Delhi are not monsoon showers, which receded from the city on September 29 after giving 516.9 mm rainfall against a normal of 653.6 mm, the IMD said.

The incessant rains, the result of an interaction between a western disturbance and a deep trough of easterly winds, also helped meet the yearly quota (774.4 mm) of precipitation.

Delhi has received 790 mm of rainfall so far this year.

The capital recorded 31 per cent surplus rain in September — 164.5 mm against a normal of 125.1 mm.

It received 286.3 mm of rainfall in July, 37 per cent more than normal, and just 24.5 mm of precipitation in June against an average of 74.1 mm.

Meanwhile, dengue cases continue to rise due to incessant rainfall. The number of dengue cases in Delhi are on the rise with more than 300 new infections being reported in the first five days of October.

Of the total 1,258 cases recorded this year till October 5, as many as 693 were reported in September alone.

The city had logged 937 cases of dengue this year till September-end, and 321 fresh cases were reported in the first five days of October, taking the tally of the vector-borne disease in the city to 1,258, according to a report released by the Municipal Corporation of Delhi (MCD) on

Monday.

It is also the highest number of dengue cases logged during the January 1-October 5 period since 2017, when the corresponding figure was 2,564.

In 2015, the city had witnessed a massive dengue outbreak, with the number of cases crossing 10,600 in October. It was Delhi's worst dengue outbreak since 1996.

According to the MCD report issued on Monday, the city recorded 23 dengue cases in January, 16 in February, 22 in March, 20 in April, 30 in May, 32 in June, 26 in July and 75 in August.