Bengaluru Records 2nd Driest July in 108 Years as Southwest Monsoon Falters

Bengaluru, August 3: The southwest monsoon has suffered a severe setback over the city this season. Despite good pre-monsoon showers in May, the rains completely let down Bengaluru in July, making it the second driest July in 108 years of recorded history.

Only 23 mm of Rainfall Recorded

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), just 23 mm of rain was recorded in Bengaluru during July. The all-time driest July on record remains July 1918, when only 18.5 mm fell — making this July the driest since then.

Bengaluru typically receives between 80 mm and 100 mm of rainfall in July. This year's 23 mm represents a rainfall deficit of over 70%. At the start of July, the cumulative monsoon total stood at 70 mm; by month's end, it had inched up to just 94 mm.

Scorching Heat and Weather Department Forecasts

The lack of rain also caused temperatures to rise significantly across the city. On July 14, Bengaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 33.6°C, making it the hottest July day in 112 years.

Recent development of an offshore trough along the west coast brought light to moderate showers to parts of the city on Saturday. However, meteorologists caution this relief is temporary, and a fresh dry spell is likely in the coming days.

A partial recovery in rainfall is expected between August 6 and 12, but the monsoon is forecast to remain subdued for most of August overall.

Nevertheless, IMD senior scientist C.S. Patil noted that thanks to the good rains received earlier in the year, the cumulative annual rainfall total for Bengaluru still stands at near-normal levels. August and September are traditionally the wettest months for the city, and residents now await whether the rains will make a meaningful return in the weeks ahead.