NEW DELHI: Cherrapunjee recently lost its ‘wettest place on earth’ status to nearby Mawsynram but now the distinction has slipped out of Meghalaya and gone to Mahabaleshwar in Maharashtra, official sources said on Wednesday.
The India Meteorological Department data has revealed that the hill station in the western state received a staggering 5,661.6 mm rainfall so far this season, more than Cherrapunjee’s 4,735 mm.
Mawsynram in Meghalaya currently holds that distinction of being the wettest place on earth, IMD sources said.
This is the third instance since 1994 when Mahabaleshwar surpassed the rainfall received by Cherrapunjee, the IMD data said.
Past researches have shown that when rainfall is weak in the northeastern parts of the country, it is active in the south peninsula and central India, where Mahabaleshwar is located.
“This monsoon too, rainfall has been below normal in the North East while it has been quite good over central India and the west coast,” the IMD sources said.
Cherrapunjee has received 4,735 mm rainfall from June 1 to August 28, lagging by 2,666.6 mm.
Mahabaleshwar received 5,661.6 mm rain during the season, an excess of 829 mm.
“In over two decades, such an instance happened in the monsoon of 1994, 2006, 2013 and now in 2018. Mawsynram and Cherrapunji, both in Meghalaya, are generally considered the wettest places on earth because of the amount of rain they receive,” the sources said.
Cherrapunjee receives rain due to different weather systems affecting the northeastern region as well as the orography there. Mahabaleshwar gets its rainfall on account of being in the Ghat areas on the west coast where the westerly winds are very strong.
The IMD data shows that east and northeast India received rain up to 815.9 mm during the season as against a normal of 1,112.7 mm, which translates into a deficiency of 27 per cent for the region. Central India, which includes Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha, among other subdivisions, recorded normal rain of 767.6 mm as against the normal quota of 767.2 mm.
