Delhi records highest single-day December rainfall since 1923
Delhi recorded 41.2 mm (1.62 inches) of rainfall in the 24 hours until 8:30 LT (03:00 UTC) on Saturday, December 28, 2024, marking the highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The highest-ever single-day December rainfall in Delhi remains December 3, 1923, with 75.7 mm (2.98 inches).
A precipitation map showing rainfall intensities across South and Central Asia, with heavy rainfall zones marked over parts of India, Iran, and Pakistan at 16:00 UTC on December 27, 2024. Image credit: Zoom Earth, The Watchers
Delhi’s rainfall on December 28 was attributed to an active western disturbance interacting with easterly winds by causing widespread precipitation across Northwest and Central India. The rainfall positioned December 2024 as the 5th highest month for December rainfall since records began in 1901.
“The 24-hour cumulative rainfall ending at 8:30 LT today is the second-highest since 1901 at Safdarjung. December’s monthly rainfall is now the fifth-highest. The 24-hour cumulative rainfall refers to the precipitation recorded over the past 24 hours ending at 8:30 LT on the given date,” an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official noted.
The rainfall brought relief to Delhi’s air quality with the Air Quality Index (AQI) improving to a ‘moderate’ category level of 152 at 09:00 LT (03:30 UTC). The AQI scale ranges from 0 – 500, with values between 101 – 200 classified as ‘moderate.’
The minimum temperature for the day was recorded at 12.7 °C (54.9 °F), which is 6 degrees above the seasonal average.
People woke up to overcast skies and soaked roads on Saturday morning.
The IMD had issued a Yellow Alert by forecasting light to moderate rain during the day. The city’s improved air quality was a welcome change from its usual winter pollution levels as the precipitation helped clear particulate matter from the air.
In Madhya Pradesh, the state received overnight showers on December 28 due to the influence of a western disturbance and a cyclonic circulation over central Rajasthan.
“Barring one to two places, Madhya Pradesh received showers due to western disturbance and induced cyclonic circulation,” explained Pramendra Kumar, a weather scientist with the IMD’s Bhopal office.
The rains resulted in overcast skies and warmer minimum temperatures in the state.
Bhopal recorded a minimum temperature of 17.8 °C (64 °F) in the 24 hours ending at 08:10 LT (02:40 UTC) on Saturday.
The sky is expected to clear on Sunday leading to a temperature dip of 2 to 4 °C (3.6 to 7.2 °F) over the next 72 hours, bringing back the seasonal chill, according to Kumar.
Hailstorms and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds were predicted for isolated areas in Madhya Pradesh on Saturday. Thunderstorms, hailstorms, and gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 km/h (19 to 25 mph) were forecasted for isolated regions during the day.
The IMD had not received reports of hailstorms occurring on Friday night despite the warnings.
The IMD issued warnings on December 27 for widespread rainfall, snowfall, and thunderstorms across Northwest and Central India. The western disturbance was observed as a cyclonic circulation over northern Pakistan with an induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan.
Regions such as Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, and parts of Madhya Pradesh experienced thunderstorms and hailstorms.
Heavy rainfall and snowfall were recorded in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand regions on December 27 and 28 with thunderstorms and hailstorms affecting southeastern Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.
Thunderstorms and isolated heavy rainfall impacted the National Capital Region (NCR) on December 27 along with gusty winds at speeds of 30 – 40 km/h (19-25 mph).
Hailstorms accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds occurred across Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, and the Gujarat region on December 27 and 28.
The weather anomalies were driven by the western disturbance’s interaction with easterly winds originating from an anticyclone over northern Chhattisgarh. Moisture inflow from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal further intensified the systems.
References:
1 Ministry of Earth Sciences/Government of India – IMD – December 27, 2024
2 Delhi records highest single-day December rainfall in 101 years – The Hindu – December 28, 2024
3 All India Weather Forecast Bulletin – IMD – December 28, 2024
Rishika holds a Master’s in International Studies from Stella Maris College, Chennai, India, where she earned a gold medal, and an MCA from the University of Mysore, Karnataka, India. Previously, she served as a Research Assistant at the National Institute of Advanced Studies, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, India. During her tenure, she contributed as a Junior Writer for Europe Monitor on the Global Politics website and as an Assistant Editor for The World This Week. Her work has also been published in The Hindu newspaper, showing her expertise in global affairs. Rishika is also a recipient of the Women Empowerment Award at the district level in Haryana, India, in 2022.
Drown them out like the rats they are.