Jammu is currently grappling with the heaviest rainfall in decades. The city recorded 296 mm in just 24 hours, marking the highest August rainfall since 1973. The situation in Udhampur was even more astonishing with 629.4 mm rain in a single day, setting a new record.
The torrential rain has submerged the city's roads, disrupted communication networks, and led to school closures. Rivers are flowing above danger levels, while landslides have occurred in multiple locations. Tragically, a significant landslide on the Vaishno Devi pilgrimage route claimed 41 lives, mostly pilgrims.
In the past seven days, rainfall in Jammu and Kashmir has been 260% above normal. According to IMD data, Anantnag, Doda, and Kulgam were the most affected, experiencing over 500% more rain than usual. Similar situations were observed in Pulwama, Ramban, Samba, and Jammu, while Poonch district recorded a 34% decrease in rain.
Source: aajtak
Record-Breaking Rainfall in Telangana Too
The heavy rainfall wasn't limited to Jammu and Kashmir. Telangana experienced equally alarming conditions. Kamareddy district recorded 3,246% more rain than usual. Districts like Nizamabad, Medak, Siddipet, Karimnagar, and Nirmal also faced rainfall exceeding 1,000% of normal levels.
In contrast, the southern districts of Telangana saw more moderate increases. Mahbubnagar recorded only a 24% increase, while Narayanpet had a 39% increase. Urban districts like Hyderabad and Medchal-Malkajgiri experienced rainfall above the average.
Source: aajtak
Weekly Rainfall Fluctuations
According to IMD data, early monsoon weeks painted a different picture. For the week ending June 11, heavy rainfall (large excess) was absent across districts in Jharkhand, Rajasthan, Gujarat, and Jammu and Kashmir. But by the week ending June 18, the number of regions with heavy rain increased across several states.
July Showed a Similar Pattern.
75% of districts in Jharkhand and 73% in Rajasthan recorded heavy rains in the week ending July 16. No district in Maharashtra or Telangana reported such high rainfall. However, August saw a complete change. By the week ending August 27, 91% of Rajasthan's districts, 89% in Maharashtra, 82% in Telangana, and 80% in Jammu and Kashmir reported heavy rainfall.
This clearly shows this year's monsoon pattern was erratic, pouring heavily in some places while leaving others nearly dry.
