Shillong, Jun 21: Heavy showers lashed parts of Meghalaya, with Mawsynram in East Khasi Hills recording 530mm of rainfall in 24 hours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said.
Meteorologists said the amount of rain Mawsynram received in one night is equivalent to what Jodhpur or Bikaner receive in over six months.
The weather department also recorded 470mm of rain in RKM Sohra and 390mm in Mawkyrwat. Other areas that saw heavy rainfall include Shella (100mm), Williamnagar (90mm), Mawryngkneng (90mm), Jowai (80mm), Umiam (70mm) and Ratacherra (70mm).
The incessant rain damaged a stretch of the national highway connecting Shillong with Dawki near the Bangladesh border.
The intense spell comes weeks after the IMD projected a relatively favourable monsoon outlook for the North East despite forecasting below-normal rainfall for the country as a whole.
In its seasonal forecast released in May, the IMD said that the North East, including Meghalaya, is likely to receive normal monsoon rainfall, defined as 94 to 106 percent of the long period average (LPA), during the June–September southwest monsoon season.
While the national monsoon is expected to remain below normal at around 90 percent of the LPA, the North East was identified as one of the regions likely to witness normal seasonal rainfall this year.
The latest downpour in Meghalaya comes amid the onset phase of the monsoon, with Mawsynram and Sohra once again recording some of the highest rainfall figures in the region.
