Delhi receives 19% excess rainfall this year

New Delhi, Oct 3: What Delhiites complain most about the national capital's weather is scorching heat during May-June and lack of rains. But this year it poured heavily in Delhi, so much so that the capital received twice the amount of rainfall in September than usual.

The monsoon has now withdrawn from Delhi and the last time monsoon withdrew so early from the national capital was in 2015, when it retreated on September 30.

Even the pattern of rainfall was a tad different this year. The capital usually receives heaviest rains in August, but this year it was September during which it rained the most. Monsoon withdrew from Delhi on Monday and the national capital received 19% excess rainfall this year, as per MeT department.

"Monsoon withdrew from Delhi on October 1. The last rain was received on September 24. We are now in the transition phase before winter sets in," said BP Yadav, deputy director general of the IMD, as per HT report.

Monsoon had hit Delhi one day ahead of its scheduled date of arrival this year. While the scheduled date of arrival for monsoon in Delhi is June 29, this year it arrived on June 28.

Usually Delhi receives the heaviest rains in August, followed by July. But this time, August was rather dry in the city. Instead, Delhi received double the amount of rainfall in September than it usually receives.

The heaviest rain spell that Delhi has received on a single September-day this decade was on September 10, 2009. The rainfall recorded then was 93.8 mm. The heaviest spell Delhi has ever recorded in September was on September 16, 1904 when it rained 176.5mm in the month.