With no significant rain since June, the city’s rainfall had dropped below normal earlier this week. (File)
While Pune has seen a largely dry monsoon season so far, the city experienced moderate rain for 24 hours between Thursday and Friday evening.
The city recorded 31 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Friday, which was the wettest so far this season. With no significant rain since June, the city’s rainfall had dropped below normal earlier this week. It remained 7.8 mm short of normal as on Friday, stated the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) rainfall data.
“The southwest monsoon has been active over Madhya Maharashtra, resulting in moderate yet widespread rainfall,” a Met official said. “South-westerly winds are blowing over lower latitudes. The rainfall intensity will reduce after July 26.”
On the day, rainfall was recorded in other cities of the state, including Ratnagiri (87 mm), Mahabaleshwar (71 mm), Aurangabad (33 m), Solapur (52 mm), Mumbai (24 mm) and Satara (16 mm).
This year, monsoon has remained subdued over Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha. Even then, normal rain was recorded over all four subdivisions of the state, with rainfall departures – Marathwada (51 mm), Madhya Maharashtra (17 mm), Konkan (10 mm) and Vidarbha ( -3 mm) – till Friday. Rainfall over Maharashtra continues to be under the normal category, recorded at 514.9 mm, with 12 per cent surplus, so far.
Rainfall is likely to remain subdued over the state till the end of this month, with no likely formation of a low pressure system over the Bay of Bengal, which normally aids rainfall over Maharashtra. The monsoon trough remains at its normal position, and by July 28, will shift towards the foothills of Himalayas. This indicates below-normal rainfall over Maharashtra and northwest India in the coming week.