Daily Briefing: Monsoon mayhem in Mumbai
Good morning,
Yesterday, we discussed the monsoon onset in Maharashtra, which occurred two weeks ahead of schedule and was the earliest in at least 75 years. My colleague Nayonika Bose dug deeper and discovered that a phenomenon called the 'Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO)' is one of the reasons behind this early onset.
Zoom in: MJO is a complex, moving system of winds, clouds, and pressure originating in the Indian Ocean. These wind bands can travel around the world in 30 to 60 days, influencing weather patterns along the way. When they move over India, they can amplify monsoon rainfall. This time, they were accompanied by a strong cross-equatorial flow that added extra moisture.
This early monsoon isn't limited to Maharashtra. It reached Kerala on May 24—eight days ahead of schedule—marking an early onset across the subcontinent. Anjali Marar breaks down the complete picture of what led to this rare event.
Rain fury: The first deluge brought 200 mm of rainfall to parts of the maximum city. The infrastructure crumbled under the heavy downpour, severely waterlogging roads and at an underground metro station. Walls collapsed and trees fell across the city, disrupting everyday life. The weather department has issued a red alert warning of extremely heavy rainfall for Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Raigad, and Ratnagiri districts.
What went wrong? The monsoon's premature arrival caught Mumbai off guard. The deadline for completing essential pre-monsoon tasks, including road repairs and drain cleaning, is usually June 1, meaning they were unfinished when the monsoon arrived. My colleague Pratip Acharya points to the key factors that paralysed Mumbai: non-functional dewatering pumps, incomplete desilting work, and dug-up roads.
Mind the enemy: In response to the Pahalgam terror attack, the Indian defence forces launched a meticulously planned mission, Operation Sindoor, that broke new ground on several fronts. All three services came together for a coordinated strike deep inside Pakistan for the first time. However, the real game-changer lay in the planning, featuring a new strategic approach called 'red teaming.' This involves bringing in a select group of experts who think like the enemy. They critically analyse the plan and simulate enemy reactions, stress-testing every detail. Intrigued? Read on.
Meanwhile, Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah and his cabinet have decided to meet at a resort in Pahalgam, the site of the April 22 terror attack. They aim to instil confidence and encourage tourists to return to Kashmir.
Order, order: In five murder cases linked to the 2020 Delhi riots, the police relied heavily on the chats from a WhatsApp group, Kattar Hindu Ekta, to file chargesheets against 12 accused. On Monday, a Delhi court ruled that WhatsApp chats cannot be 'substantive evidence.'
Housing woes: BSP supremo Mayawati has vacated her Lutyens' Delhi bungalow, citing security concerns. While the top leadership has remained tight-lipped on the matter, a senior party functionary stated that vehicles needed for Mayawati's security were causing inconvenience for a nearby school.
Linked: Mizoram has become the fourth Northeastern state with its capital, Aizawl, connected to the national railway network. Earlier this month, Indian Railways completed a successful trial run for the new Bairabi-Sairang line.
Boundaries: Former Chief of Army Staff, V P Malik, reflects on the parallels between India's Operation Vijay during the 1999 Kargil War and the recent Operation Sindoor. He writes about how India remained composed in both instances and made its point without escalation.
Prison break: Nothing could have prepared the Jaipur Police for what they witnessed after receiving a tip-off about a 'jail break.' The scenes unfolded in a city hotel, where some policemen lounged in the lobby while jail inmates met their spouses and partners in the rooms above. These inmates, facing serious charges ranging from sexual assault to murder, were allowed to roam freely around the city. While two of them were found in hotel rooms, two others were discovered eating poha. Wild, right? My colleague Parul Kulshrestha has more details.
She's witty, formidable, and the OG roastmaster of Indian television! I leave you with this refreshing take on Maya Sarabhai, the cutthroat matriarch of the hit TV series, Sarabhai vs Sarabhai, and why Gen Z has claimed her as one of their own. This is the first article from our latest venture, 'Fresh Take', which puts the lens on pop culture, digging deeper and asking pertinent questions. Watch this space for more!
🎧 Before you go, tune in to today's episode of the '3 Things' podcast, where we discuss the rebalancing of troops at the border, the floods in Bengaluru and the removal of a High Court judge.
That's all for today, folks! Until tomorrow,
Sonal Gupta
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
India.com
9 hours ago
- India.com
World's 10 coldest countries; average temperatures reach -4 degrees Celsius; coldest one is...
Canada is the coldest country on the planet. (File) 10 coldest countries in the world: Despite its varying landscape and geography in different parts of the country, India is generally known for its scorching summers, when average temperatures can reach well above 40 degrees Celsius, which is expected to increase in coming years due to global warming. But do you know that there are countries where average temperature range between a chilly 7 degrees Celsius to a frosty -4.0 degrees C? World's 10 coldest countries Canada: One of the favorite destinations for Indian immigrants, Canada is the coldest country in the world with average temperatures dropping to as low as -4.0 C (24.8 Fahrenheit). A large part of Canada's land mass is located near the Arctic Circle due to which the North American nation witnesses long and extremely cold winters. Russia: The world's largest country in terms of total land area, most of which lies in northern Siberian region, Russia is the second country on the planet, with an average temperature of -3.1 C (26.4 F). Siberia is considered the coldest inhabited region on the planet, and even the southern and western parts of Russia remain covered with snow all year round. Mongolia: This mountainous country, located China and south of Russia, is the world's third coldest country, with an an average temperature of 1.4 C (34.5 F). Due to its extreme geography, Mongolia witnesses extreme winters when temperatures can drop several notches below zero. Iceland: Aptly named for its extremely cold weather, Iceland is classified as a sub-Arctic region. However, the mild Gulf Stream moderates the country's temperature to some extent with gusts of warm air, due to which the average temperatures reach a tolerable 2.2 Celsius (36 F ). Norway: The home of the Northern Lights in Europe, Norway's landmass includes northernmost regions of Northern Europe, where temperatures hit well below the freezing point during winters, while average temperatures in the country remain a chilly 2.6 C (36.7 F) around the year. Finland: Norway's neighbor, Finland, is the world's sixth coldest country, clocking an average temperature of 3.0 C (37.4 F). Temperatures in northern parts of Finland can drop to as low as -30 degrees Celsius during winters, making it one of the coldest regions on the Earth. Kyrgyzstan: This Central Asian country has a unique topography due to which its low-lying areas experience fairly warm temperatures in summers, but remain consistently around zero in winter. Kyrgyzstan has an average temperature of 3.0 C (37.4 F). Sweden: One of the coldest countries in the world known for its harsh winter. However, akin to its neighboring countries, Sweden witnesses considerable climate differences from the north to the south. Most of Sweden has a temperate continental climate, but the northernmost regions, located at higher altitudes, are severely cold, bringing the average temperatures down to 3.6 C (38.5 F). Tajikistan: Located in Central Asia, and bordering Kyrgyzstan, Tajikistan has wide temperature variations, with hot summers and very cold winters. In the plains, surface air temperatures can reach up to 40 C in summer, while the same can drop to a bone-chilling -50 degrees Celsius in the Pamir Mountains. This giant variation brings down the average temperature of Tajikistan to 4.2 C (40 F). Estonia: Located across the Baltic Sea from Sweden and across the Gulf of Finland from Finland, Estonia witnesses a milder climate than both these countries. Estonia is located on a relatively high latitude, and would rank higher on the list of coldest countries if it weren't not warmed by the moderating effect of Atlantic Ocean currents. The country clocks an average temperature of 6.8 C (44.2 F)
India Gazette
14 hours ago
- India Gazette
India records wettest May since 1901 with 126.7 mm rainfall: IMD
New Delhi [India], June 8 (ANI): The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that May 2025 was the wettest since 1901, with the country receiving an average rainfall of 126.7 mm last month. The early onset of the southwest monsoon brought continuous rainfall across southern and eastern India, contributing to this record. In a social media post on X, the IMD wrote, 'The average monthly rainfall for May 2025 over All-India (126.7 mm) and Central India (100.9 mm) was highest since 1901.' As per the Met Department, rainfall over the country in the month of May 2025 was 126.7 mm, which is 106 per cent more than its Long Period Average (LPA) of 61.4 mm. An official press release from the IMD reads, 'Rainfall over the country as a whole for the month of May 2025 was 126.7 mm, which is 106% more than its Long Period Average (LPA) of 61.4 mm...' 'The average monthly rainfall for May 2025 over All-India (126.7 mm) and Central India (100.9 mm) was the highest since 1901. While the monthly rainfall over South Peninsular India reached 199.7 mm, marking the second highest total since 1901, it was surpassed only by 201.4 mm recorded in 1990. Similarly, the monthly average rainfall over Northwest India (48.1 mm) was the 13th highest since 1901 and the 4th highest since 2001. The monthly rainfall over East & Northeast India region was 242.8 mm, which is the 29th highest since 1901 and the 4th highest since 2001,' it added. According to the IMD, during May, 25 subdivisions received large excess rainfall, five subdivisions received excess rain, and six subdivisions received normal rainfall. In May 2025, extremely heavy rainfall (>204.4 mm) was recorded along the West Coast, as well as in Assam and Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Madhya Maharashtra, and South Interior Karnataka. As per the weather department, very heavy rainfall (115.6-204.4 mm) occurred in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, East Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Marathwada, North Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Saurashtra and Kutch, Telangana, Vidarbha, and West Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, heavy rainfall events (64.5-115.5 mm) were observed across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Gujarat Region, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and West Uttar Pradesh. The IMD stated that there were seven Western Disturbances (WDs) observed over the Indian region, which caused frequent occurrences of rain and thunderstorm activities accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms across the Western Himalayan region, plains of Northwest and central India. In the month of May, most parts of India experience thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and activities at regular intervals. The average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature for the country as a whole during May were below normal. The release reads, 'The average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature for the country as a whole during May were 35.08oC, 24.07oC and 29.57oC respectively, against the normal of 36.60oC, 24.17oC and 30.38oC based on data of 1991-2020. Thus, the average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature were below normal with departure from normal of -1.52oC, -0.10oC and -0.81oC, respectively, for the country as a whole.' Notably, this year, the Southwest Monsoon set in over Kerala on May 24, eight days earlier than its normal onset date of June 1. (ANI)
Hindustan Times
15 hours ago
- Hindustan Times
IMD says May 2025 breaks 124-year record as wettest month in India since 1901
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has reported that May 2025 was the wettest since 1901, with the country receiving an average rainfall of 126.7 mm last month. The early onset of the southwest monsoon brought continuous rainfall across southern and eastern India, contributing to this record. In a social media post on X, the IMD wrote, 'The average monthly rainfall for May 2025 over All-India (126.7 mm) and Central India (100.9 mm) was highest since 1901.' As per the Met Department, rainfall over the country in the month of May 2025 was 126.7 mm, which is 106 per cent more than its Long Period Average (LPA) of 61.4 mm. An official press release from the IMD reads, "Rainfall over the country as a whole for the month of May 2025 was 126.7 mm, which is 106% more than its Long Period Average (LPA) of 61.4 mm..." "The average monthly rainfall for May 2025 over All-India (126.7 mm) and Central India (100.9 mm) was the highest since 1901. While the monthly rainfall over South Peninsular India reached 199.7 mm, marking the second highest total since 1901, it was surpassed only by 201.4 mm recorded in 1990. Similarly, the monthly average rainfall over Northwest India (48.1 mm) was the 13th highest since 1901 and the 4th highest since 2001. The monthly rainfall over East & Northeast India region was 242.8 mm, which is the 29th highest since 1901 and the 4th highest since 2001," it added. According to the IMD, during May, 25 subdivisions received large excess rainfall, five subdivisions received excess rain, and six subdivisions received normal rainfall. In May 2025, extremely heavy rainfall (>204.4 mm) was recorded along the West Coast, as well as in Assam and Meghalaya, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Mizoram, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal, Madhya Maharashtra, and South Interior Karnataka. As per the weather department, very heavy rainfall (115.6-204.4 mm) occurred in Arunachal Pradesh, Bihar, Coastal Andhra Pradesh and Yanam, East Rajasthan, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, Marathwada, North Interior Karnataka, Rayalaseema, Saurashtra and Kutch, Telangana, Vidarbha, and West Madhya Pradesh. Additionally, heavy rainfall events (64.5-115.5 mm) were observed across the Andaman and Nicobar Islands, Chhattisgarh, East Madhya Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Gujarat Region, Himachal Pradesh, Jharkhand, Lakshadweep, Odisha, Uttarakhand, and West Uttar Pradesh. The IMD stated that there were seven Western Disturbances (WDs) observed over the Indian region, which caused frequent occurrences of rain and thunderstorm activities accompanied by gusty winds and hailstorms across the Western Himalayan region, plains of Northwest and central India. In the month of May, most parts of India experience thunderstorms accompanied by gusty winds and activities at regular intervals. The average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature for the country as a whole during May were below normal. The release reads, "The average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature for the country as a whole during May were 35.08oC, 24.07oC and 29.57oC respectively, against the normal of 36.60oC, 24.17oC and 30.38oC based on data of 1991-2020. Thus, the average maximum, average minimum and mean temperature were below normal with departure from normal of -1.52oC, -0.10oC and -0.81oC, respectively, for the country as a whole." Notably, this year, the Southwest Monsoon set in over Kerala on May 24, eight days earlier than its normal onset date of June 1.
