Battered by heavy rains, Mumbai braces for more as IMD issues red alert
Several areas of Mumbai have been lashed by heavy rains, with some areas beginning to face waterlogging and traffic issues
Heavy rainfall lashed Mumbai on Sunday (May 25) even as the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued orange and red alerts for most parts of the city, including suburban areas.
Several areas are under risk of heavy rainfall, with some parts of Mumbai already facing waterlogging issues.
Also Read: Heavy rain, strong winds continue to lash Kerala; IMD forecasts storms
The IMD has said that the month of May has had one of the heaviest average spells of rainfall over the past 35 years, and explained that this particular spell of early rain has occurred due to a low-pressure area in the region.
Red, orange alert
Eight weather stations in Mumbai are under red alert - Borivali, Santacruz, Powai, Mulund, Chembur, Worli, Colaba, and Alibag. The weather stations of Navi Mumbai, Thane, and Kalyan are under orange alert.
The Madhya Maharashtra region is under orange alert for Monday (May 26), with the regional weather office forecasting "very heavy rain with thunderstorms and lightning, squall, etc.".
Also Read: Delhi records wettest May since 1901; cumulative rainfall touches 186.4 mm
As per Nowcast warnings, Raigad district is under red alert. The IMD has forecast moderate thunderstorms and heavy rainfall, with maximum surface wind speeds expected on Monday.
Meanwhile, Thane and Palghar districts are under an orange alert.
Massive traffic jam
The Bhiwandi-Wada road in the Thane district of Maharashtra saw a massive traffic jam, with cars stretching for over 7 to 8 kms.
The heavy rainfall from the previous spell had severely damaged the road surface, leaving dangerous potholes and significantly slowing the traffic.
Also Read: Maharashtra: Unseasonal rains dampen mood in onion farming belt
Ongoing road construction work further aggravated the situation, with dangerous areas sprawled across the distance of the road.
'Rain likely to persist'
The weather office of the IMD took to X early on Monday (May 26) morning, saying that a light to moderate spell of rainfall is likely to persist over Mumbai and its suburban areas over the next 3 to 4 hours.
The weather forecast for the day, as per IMD, is "generally cloudy sky with heavy rain".
Also Read: Delhi rains: AAP slams BJP over waterlogging; L-G praises govt
The minimum temperature on Monday (May 26) is expected to settle at around 24 degrees Celsius, and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius, while rain is expected through the entire week.
It added that the monsoon is expected to advance to Mumbai and some other parts of the state over the next three days.
Low-pressure area
According to the IMD, a well-marked low-pressure area was lying over south Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining areas of Marathwada and North Interior Karnataka on Sunday, causing the heavy rainfall in the region.
It stated that it is likely to move eastwards during the next 24 hours, and then would eventually weaken, citing this as the reason for the abnormal rainfall.
Also Read: 49 flights disrupted, roads flooded, trees uprooted as massive storm lashes Delhi
The weather office forecast that scattered to fairly-widespread light to moderate rainfall along with thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds is reaching Konkan, Goa, and Madhya Maharashtra during May 25-27.
Earliest start in 35 years
The arrival of the southwest monsoon in Maharashtra on Sunday marked the earliest onset of the annual rainfall season in 35 years, the weather office said.
The IMD also said that Maharashtra has recorded the wettest monsoon in 35 years since 1990, seeing an area average rainfall of 79.6 mm from May 1 to May 23. This is an 844 per cent surplus over the normal 7.9 mm average. The all-time record for rainfall in Maharashtra was recorded in 1918, when the state received 113.6 mm.
Also Read: Rain havoc from north to south: Monsoon batters Kerala, flight ops hit in Delhi
Kerala also saw an early arrival of the monsoon on Saturday (May 24), as it usually marks its onset only by June 1. From Kerala, it generally moves to Maharashtra around June 7, and Mumbai by June 11.
This comes just a day after Delhi's rainfall - classified as "heavy" by IMD standards - made it the city's second-highest 24-hour May rainfall ever recorded, after the 119.3 mm logged on May 20, 2021, although this was due to an interaction between moist southeasterly winds and dry westerlies, and not the southwest monsoon.