City almost makes up for rain deficit (Times of India 09 September 2011)

NEW DELHI: The tsunami everybody joked about during Wednesday night's quake finally hit the city on Friday morning. As the capital woke up to one of the heaviest September showers - totalling 96.1 mm rainfall since 4am on Friday - in a decade, roads and underpasses went under water at the height of rush hour. For most residents accustomed to a difficult drive to office, the morning commute became a nightmare without end. While drivers were caught inside their cars for hours, those who use buses were stranded as 200 DTC buses broke down.
Many of the morning commuters made it to office only by the afternoon. Preet Vihar resident Sanjana Joshi, who set off for her Gurgaon office at 9.30 am, reached after 3 pm. "It took three-and-a-half hours just to reach AIIMS as cars would stop moving after every few metres. I decided to leave my car in office overnight and take the Metro home as I can't face such traffic again,'' she said. The severest flooding was reported from some of the busiest road stretches, such as Rajghat, ITO, Kashmere Gate, Ring Road, Akshardham, Nizamuddin bridge, Sarai Kale Khan, Vikas Marg, Moolchand, Greater Kailash-I and Defence Colony.
The heaviest downpour was recorded between 5am and noon, though it kept raining till late afternoon. Between 4am and 5.30 pm, the city had recorded 90.1 mm rainfall, the second highest for a 24-hour period in September since 2000. September 13, 2002 was wetter with 126.8 mm rainfall. However, the month's all-time high was recorded on September 16, 1904, when 176.5 mm rain fell. The Met office predicted more rain through Friday night with the intensity coming down on Saturday. Met officials said rainfall in the past week had been exceptionally good over the city, several parts of which were witnessing a severe deficiency. The heavy rain brought down the minimum temperature to an average 25.1 degrees Celsius but the maximum was below average at 28 degrees. Humidity remained high with the maximum at 98% and the minimum at 89%.

Friday's heavy rain has almost wiped out the season's overall shortfall. Till 8.30am on Friday, 514 mm rain had been recorded at the Safdarjung observatory, counting from June 1. This is only 68mm below the season's normal. With 60.6mm recorded after 8.30am, the deficit is now negligible. At Palam, where the deficiency till Thursday was more than 100mm, the shortfall now is only 67 mm.

Of the 574mm rain recorded at the Safdarjung observatory till 8.30pm on Friday, September itself has contributed 182 mm so far till 5.30pm on Friday. In fact, since the monsoon broke over Delhi, only seven days have contributed to over half of the total 300 mm. Met officials have said northwest India, including Delhi, usually sees a lot of rain in September even though this is the month when the monsoon system starts withdrawing from the country, starting with west Rajasthan.

BP Yadav, director of the Met office, said: "The heavy rain over northwest India is due to interaction between a western disturbance and the monsoon system. Alow pressure area exists over Jharkhand because of which strong easterly winds carrying moisture from Bay of Bengal are blowing into northwest India. Simultaneously, a low pressure area exists over south Pakistan adjoining Rajasthan. A confluence of the two systems has formed over Haryana and it is their interaction that has brought so much rain."