The heavy precipitation event in Chennai, India, 1 December 2015

A scientific study assessed the record-breaking rainfall in Chennai on 1 December 2015, which saw up to 494 mm of rain and caused US$3 bn in economic losses. The analysis concluded that no measurable effect of human-caused emissions was detected for this specific one-day event, attributing this lack of detection to the masking effects of aerosol pollution over India.

• On 1 December 2015, Chennai experienced its heaviest one-day rainfall in over a century, with totals reaching 494 mm (19.45 inches). This event caused catastrophic flooding, left over three million people without basic services, and resulted in estimated economic costs of US$3 bn.
• The extreme rainfall occurred during the 2015 rainy season, a period characterized by high Indian Ocean temperatures, record warm global surface temperatures, and a strong El Niño.
• A multi-method analysis using climate models and observational data found no measurable impact of human-caused emissions on the 1 December 2015 rainfall event. This result is likely due to the masking effect of high levels of aerosol pollution present over much of India, including the Chennai area, which counteracts greenhouse gas warming.

APA

Climate and Development Knowledge Network (2017). The heavy precipitation event in Chennai, India, 1 December 2015. https://cdkn.org/resource/heavy-precipitation-event-chennai-india-1-december-2015

Chicago

Climate and Development Knowledge Network. The heavy precipitation event in Chennai, India, 1 December 2015. 2017. https://cdkn.org/resource/heavy-precipitation-event-chennai-india-1-december-2015.

Wikipedia

{{cite report |author=Climate and Development Knowledge Network |title=The heavy precipitation event in Chennai, India, 1 December 2015 |date=27 February 2017 |url=https://cdkn.org/resource/heavy-precipitation-event-chennai-india-1-december-2015 |access-date=17 August 2026 |via=Climate Insights Directory}}

BibTeX

@techreport{climateanddevelopmentknowledgenetwork2017heavy, author = {{Climate and Development Knowledge Network}}, title = {{The heavy precipitation event in Chennai, India, 1 December 2015}}, institution = {Climate and Development Knowledge Network}, year = {2017}, month = feb, url = {https://cdkn.org/resource/heavy-precipitation-event-chennai-india-1-december-2015}, urldate = {2026-08-17}, note = {Indexed by Climate Insights Directory} }