Claims making rounds about Wednesday’s rainfall being the highest ever in the recorded history of Hyderabad climate may not be true. However, it is certainly the second highest in 24 hours’ duration, assert experts from the Meteorological Centre, Hyderabad.
India Meteorological Department’s weather monitoring station in Begumpet has recorded rainfall of 19.2 cm during the 24 hours starting 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday.
This, when compared with the data of all the previous years since 1891, proves to be the highest ever rainfall in the month of October, and also the second highest on any day in any month. It also exceeds the figure of the legendary deluge in 1908, when 15.3 cm was recorded on a single day on September 27.
The highest recorded rainfall so far in Hyderabad as per the IMD records is 24.15 cm on August 24, 2000, as per data from the Begumpet weather station.
Several localities in the GHMC’s purview on Wednesday, recorded more than the IMD’s highest, with Hayatnagar clocking over 29 cm in less than 24 hours.
However, Met department officials say that the data was from the automatic weather monitoring stations installed by the Telangana State Development Planning Society, and not comparable with the IMD station at Begumpet.
“Comparisons should be drawn between data recorded from the same stations, and not two different ones,” opined Head Scientist K.Nagaratna, from the Hyderabad Meteorological Centre.
TSDPS stations have been a recent phenomenon, hence the latest figures from Hayatnagar or some other location cannot be compared with those recorded at IMD station, Begumpet, in 2000, she says. Hayatnagar was not even part of the city in 2000, and GHMC was not formed then.
Interestingly enough however, between 8.30 a.m. on Tuesday and 1 a.m. on Wednesday, the TSDPS station at Begumpet recorded 22.5 cm, which is higher than that recorded by IMD.
IMD always records data of 24 hours starting from 8.30 a.m., while the TSDPS releases hourly data of rainfall.
Devastation caused by rainfall is most often based on the duration during which the water is delivered, say experts.
In 1908 floods, over 15 cm of rain was recorded for two consecutive days, on September 27 and 28. Following the floods, the twin reservoirs Himayatsagar and Osmansagar were constructed near Gandipet as the repositories of the rainwater.
RAIN RECORD
Monthly Highest recorded rainfall in Hyderabad (as per IMD station, Begumpet)
Month-----------Year------------- Rainfall (cm)
January-----------1922--------------- 9.3
February--------- 2000--------------- 7.6
March------------- 1928-------------- 10.3
April-------------- 2015--------------- 6.1
May--------------- 1978--------------- 7.9
June--------------- 1914--------------- 12.3
July---------------- 1989-------------- 14
August------------ 2000--------------- 24.2
September-------- 1908--------------- 15.3
October------------ 2020-------------- 19.2
November-------- 1987---------------- 11.3
December-------- 1918---------------- 4.5
