Explainer: How rare western disturbances triggered record rainfall in August
Northwest India recently experienced exceptionally severe rainfall, thanks to an unusual mix of weather systems.
The regular monsoon, which usually pulls in moisture from the Bay of Bengal, got a major boost from five western disturbances—storms that usually don't show up during peak monsoon months like July and August.
Unusual atmospheric block pushed storms toward India
This August, there were five western disturbances—way above the usual average of 1.42 for this month, according to climate researcher Kieran Hunt.
A rare atmospheric block north of Iran late in the month pushed these storms toward India.
As research scientist Akshay Deoras explained, these disturbances basically served as a trigger, turning all that extra moisture into intense downpours across places like Jammu and Kashmir.