The Rain Capital of the world "Cherrapunjee"

 Cherrapunjee / Sohra is a small metropolis positioned at the southern fringe of Khasi Hills, a dissected plateau at an altitude of approximately 4823 toes (1484 m) above suggest sea level. The meteorological observatory is located at 4267 toes (1313 m) above MSL. Cherrapunjee is regionally and now formally called ‘SOHRA’. Khasi human beings of Mon-Khmer beginning inhabit it.

Cherrapunjee / Sohra is the headquarters of Sohra Civil Sub-Division and falls in East Khasi Hills District of the Indian State of Meghalaya. Meghalaya is one of the seven states of North East India with Assam to its North and sharing an global border with Bangladesh on its South.


As one proceeds northward from the Bay of Bengal over the plains of Bangladesh mendacity at nearly sea level, the Khasi Hills erupt unexpectedly out of the flat lands towering to a peak of approximately 4500 toes above MSL. Cherrapunjee falls immediately at the direction of Southwest Monsoon called the Indian Summer Monsoon / Asian Summer Monsoon.

The deep gorges round Cherrapunjee assist to funnel and converge the low flying rain bearing clouds over Cherrapunjee. The upward thrusted rain clouds swiftly cool as they attain better altitudes, condense and deluge Cherrapunjee. The method of cooling is assisted via way of means of the float of bloodless air from north and north-east to the south withinside the higher ecosystem from the Himalayan ranges.

This phenomenon may be observed at approximately 10 p.m. or later at night time at some point of the monsoon months. Again withinside the early mornings because the solar rays heat the hills the lightened air makes manner for the clouds trapped withinside the valleys and putting low over the Sylhet plains to transport up.


The heavy rainfall vicinity indicated via way of means of Cherrapunjee is anticipated to cowl approximately one hundred to two hundred rectangular km. Compare this to the heavy rainfall vicinity of simplest five rectangular km of Mount Weialeale in Hawaii (USA), that's withinside the center of ocean. Cherrapunjee is ready four hundred km inland from the Bay of Bengal withinside the Indian Ocean and is domestic to over 25000 human beings.

The common annual rainfall at Cherrapunjee from 1973-2020 (forty eight years) is 11,621.zero mm (i.e. 38.12 toes- i.e. 457.fifty one inches). In 1974 it had rained 24,555.three mm (ie 80.fifty six toes – ie 966.seventy four inches). The rainfall in 1974 at Cherrapunjee is the very best recorded annual rainfall in any person area in any person yr withinside the entire World. On sixteenth June 1995, it had rained 1563 mm in 24 hours (ie five.12 toes) – the very best recorded rainfall obtained in a single area in a single day.

In Mount Weialeale it rains nearly similarly all of the 12 months, say approximately 800 mm in a month. At Cherrapunjee June receives a median of 2,470.eight mm and July 2,999.nine mm. It rained eight,204.7 mm in July 1974. July 2004 obtained 5014.6 mm of rainfall inflicting flood havoc in Bangladesh. The months of June and July prepare account for 47.five% of the overall annual rainfall at Cherrapunjee.