Pune, 29th July 2026: After a dry start to the monsoon that raised concerns of drought across Pune, July shows an extraordinary recovery. Persistent and intense rainfall throughout the month helped Shivajinagar weather station record 508.9 mm of rain, making July 2026 the wettest July ever recorded in the city of 150 year IMD history .
The new record has surpassed the previous highest July rainfall of 508.5 mm, which was recorded in 1907, ending a 119-year-old record, according to India Meteorological Department (IMD) data.
A significant share of the month's rainfall came during the opening days of July. In just the first week, rainfall crossed the 350 mm mark, and by July 9, Shivajinagar had already recorded 409 mm of rain, making it one of the wettest starts to July on record.
Pune normally receives around 763 mm of rainfall annually, with nearly 79% of it occurring during the southwest monsoon season between June and September. The city's average rainfall for July typically ranges between 184 mm and 189 mm, making this year's total nearly three times the monthly average.
According to weather scientists, the record-breaking rainfall was caused by a combination of El Niño conditions over the Pacific Ocean and warmer-than-normal sea surface temperatures in the Arabian Sea.
Experts said these conditions supplied abundant moisture to low-pressure systems moving across western India, resulting in exceptionally heavy rainfall over parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, while some other regions received comparatively less rain.
The IMD has forecast heavy rainfall in Pune on July 31. Rain activity is expected to reduce on August 1 and 2, with no weather alert currently in place, although a few spells of light to moderate rain are still likely during the period.
