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Heavy rains lashed several parts of Mumbai along with Thane, Palghar and Navi Mumbai on Saturday, indicating that monsoons will soon reach the city. Rain intensified through the evening with the IMD issuing an orange alert through Sunday, when heavy rain is likely to continue.
The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which had earlier said that the monsoon is expected to arrive in Mumbai within the next 48 hours, however, later, did not confirm whether the monsoon had indeed arrived.
As per IMD data, Mumbai recorded 115 millimeters of rain as of 8.30pm on Saturday.
Of this, only 27mm was recorded between 8.30am and 5.30pm – and 88mm between 5.30pm and 8.30pm at the IMD Santa Cruz Observatory. The IMD Coastal Observatory in Colaba recorded 42 mm of precipitation.
“The rain intensified during the evening and within a three-hour period more than 80 mm of heavy rain wave was recorded,” said Sushma Nair, a scientist at IMD.
“The monsoon has advanced until Alibaug on Saturday and within the next 48 hours we expect it to reach Mumbai, considering the ‘yellow’ alert is issued on June 26 and 27. In 2019, the onset of the monsoon occurred on June 25 if the monsoon reaches Mumbai On June 26, it would have been the most late since 2001,” Nair told the Indian Express.
Weather experts attributed Saturday’s heavy rain to the west and active monsoons.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) precipitation monitoring systems recorded 73 mm of rain in the western suburbs, 71 mm in the island city and 69 mm in the eastern suburbs. Dahisar in the western suburbs received 143 mm of rain, followed by 119 mm in Marol and Vikroli, 115 mm in Didushi and 103 mm in Borivali. The areas of Colaba and Sion on the island recorded 98 mm and 94 mm of rain.
Heavy rains flooded several parts of the city. Traffic stopped in Andheri for two hours, after Andheri Subway was closed due to water cuts. Notably, the BMC Center installed six dewatering pumps in the subway this year to prevent water from dripping during rain.
In Gandhi Market, although it was raining heavily, the water did not accumulate for a long time. The civic body, through its official Twitter account, posted a video, saying, “Rainwater is channeled smoothly from Gandhi Market and traffic is proceeding smoothly.”
Meanwhile, a roadside tree fell in the upmarket Malabar Hill locality of Mumbai, damaging 10 vehicles on Saturday morning. No injuries were reported in the accident which took place on Wakeshwar Road opposite Birla High School.
According to meteorologists, rainfall is set to become more intense next week, warning of heavy rains in Mumbai and its adjoining areas on Monday, Tuesday and Wednesday. The International Institute for Democracy (IMD) also predicted a drop in temperatures over the next seven days. According to the weather forecast for seven days, temperatures are expected to drop by four degrees.
On the same Saturday, after the pre-monsoon showers, mercury levels dropped with the Colaba IMD Observatory recording a temperature of 30.8°C, one degree below normal. The Santa Cruz Observatory of the IMD Institute recorded 32.8 degrees Celsius.
While the monsoon was officially scheduled to arrive in Mumbai on June 11, it has been delayed and IMD has predicted that it will arrive in Mumbai between June 23 and June 25. Speaking to The Indian Express, Raghu Murtogod, Earth System Scientist and Visiting Professor at IIT Bombay, said the prolonged delay in the onset of the monsoon had arisen over time and could not be solely attributed to Cyclone Pebarjoy.
“Monsoon – The southwest wind was pulled in by Biparjoy on one side and Cyclone Guchol in the Pacific Ocean on the other. This destroyed the monsoon which had been lacking in large parts. Meanwhile, before Guchol and Biparjoy, there was Cyclone Mawar which delayed the trough from moving into India, and which was stuck over the Andaman and Nicobar because it could not cross that highway of winds over the Gulf which Mawar had created.
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