Kathmandu Valley on Saturday witnessed the highest rainfall recorded since at least 1970, when the country first started the system of measuring and recording rainfall in the country.

“The data recorded this morning by nine rainfall gauging stations in Kathmandu is the highest of the past 54 years,” said meteorologist Govind Jha of the Department of Hydrology and Meteorology.

Kathmandu had earlier recorded the highest rainfall in 2002. But the Valley saw heavier rainfall in the 24 hours until Saturday morning.

According to the data recorded at 8:45 am on Saturday, the weather station at the Tribhuvan International Airport measured 239.7 millimetre rain in the past 24 hours whereas the highest record so far was 177 millimetre recorded in 2002, said Jha.

“This much waterfall had never been recorded in Kathmandu,” Jha said.

According to him, the Budhanilkantha station on Saturday recorded 187.3 mm rainfall while the previous highest record was 159 mm measured in 2007. Likewise, the station at Chapagaun in Lalitpur recorded 200.5 mm rainfall in 2002 while it recorded 323 mm on Saturday.

“Also several places outside Kathmandu Valley have witnessed very heavy rainfall and the data is being collected and analysed,” he said.

According to the department, several places in Jhapa district witnessed over 200 millimetres of rainfall, earlier on Friday.

“Jhapa district recorded 299 mm of rain in the 24 hours until Friday afternoon, and the rainfall continues,” said Shanti Kandel, a meteorologist at the division. “Five to seven places in Jhapa district have recorded over 200 mm of rain.”

Met officials say rainfall above 50 mm is categorised as heavy, above 100 mm as very heavy, and over 200 mm as extremely heavy.