Mumbai:The coolest hill station in our state is on the way to make a new record of sorts. Mahabaleshwar, which is the nearest getaway place for Mumbaikars for enjoying its cool winds, has now replaced Cherrapunji, a small town in Meghalaya, which always records the highest rainfall in India.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mahabaleshwar, in the Western Ghats is the new wettest place, as it has received an additional rainfall of 8.31 per cent, as compared to the average 5,530.1 millimetres (mm) it usually receives. This additonal rainfall was recorded on August 8.
“Mahabaleshwar has recorded 6,031.5 mm rainfall between June 1 to August 8, while, Cherrapunji recorded 5,397.5mm rainfall in the same period,” said an IMD official. IMD official said, since last eight days, Mahabaleshwar has recorded over 200 mm rainfall daily. Cherrapunji receives heavy rainfall as the moisture from the Bay of Bengal condenses over the Khasi Hills. Similarly, the moisture from the Arabian Sea brings heavy rainfall to Mahabaleshwar and this precipitation has been unusually high over the past few years.
“While the two hill stations stand at varying altitudes and in entirely different weather zones, it is worth noting that on some occasions, areas along the western ghats are as wet as Cherrapunji or other areas in the northeast,” said an IMD official.The port town of Karnataka, Hanovar, received the third highest rainfall (2,692.5mm) between June 1 and August 8, followed by Ratnagiri in Maharashtra, which received 2,565.6mm in the same time period and suburban Mumbai recorded 2,454mm rainfall.
