Why Mayur Vihar Is Getting More Rain

New Delhi: On Monday, until 8.30 am, SPS Mayur Vihar in east Delhi recorded 58 mm of rainfall, while Safdarjung, the city’s base weather station, received 29.8 mm. This isn't the first time Mayur Vihar has recorded more rainfall than other stations this monsoon season. Met officials attributed the variation in rainfall intensity to local factors and weather systems.From 2.30 pm to 8.30 pm on Saturday, SPS Mayur Vihar reported heavy rainfall of 66 mm, making it the only station to receive significant rain that day. In contrast, Safdarjung recorded just 16.8 mm during the same period. On Aug 1, Mayur Vihar logged a maximum rainfall of 147.5 mm, with 142 mm falling in six hours, including 89.5 mm within a single hour. India Meteorological Department (IMD) categorised this as ‘extremely intense’ showers. Meanwhile, Safdarjung recorded 107.6 mm of rainfall over nine hours on the same day.Met officials noted that Mayur Vihar has been receiving more rainfall than other stations due to local factors, including the position of the monsoon trough and cyclonic circulation.RK Jenamani, a senior scientist at IMD, said, “The distribution of rainfall varies depending on factors like the location of the monsoon trough and the direction of cyclonic circulation. Areas closest to the monsoon trough receive more rainfall. Local topography also plays an important role.”Another Met official highlighted that rainfall distribution varies depending on atmospheric and geographical conditions. “Local factors, including urbanisation and green cover, influence rainfall patterns. Open spaces with green cover are likely to receive more rain than highly concretised areas. Mayur Vihar is relatively greener and closer to the Yamuna,” the official said.On July 26, the Ridge observatory in north Delhi and Delhi University saw heavy precipitation of 99 mm and 93.5 mm, respectively, while Safdarjung recorded moderate rainfall of 39.4 mm.A similar variation in rainfall was observed on July 28 when Pusa received 58 mm of rainfall, while Safdarjung recorded none. The intense rainfall in Pusa led to flooding in nearby areas, and three students died after being trapped in the flooded basement of a coaching centre in Old Rajender Nagar.IMD director general M Mohapatra told TOI on July 29 that this wasn't a localised weather event. “Convective cloud cells were moving across the city, causing different intensities of rain at different times in various areas. We cannot call the rain at Pusa a local activity. It was monsoon rain,” Mohapatra said.
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