Expect thunderstorm with lightning today in Mumbai: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow alert – thunderstorm with lightning – for Mumbai for Tuesday.

A yellow alert had been issued for Monday, too, but no rain was recorded in the city and suburbs between 8.30am and 5.30pm.

Heavy rain warnings with thunder and lightning have been issued for Thane till Thursday, for Palghar till Wednesday, and Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg till Friday.

The weather bureau said the formation of a fresh low pressure weather system over Bay of Bengal is likely to intensify rain activity over central India, interior Maharashtra and the Konkan coast.

“Currently, a well-marked low pressure area persists over west-central Arabian Sea, and as a result of this, an associated upper cyclonic circulation may lead to rain over the next 24 to 48 hours over the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR). However, rainfall during the latter half of the week is due to the low pressure forming over Bay of Bengal,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD.

Meanwhile, owing to the cloud cover early on Monday morning, the minimum temperature in Mumbai was 3 degrees Celsius above normal at 26.2 degrees Celsius. However, a partly cloudy sky throughout the day helped in bringing the day temperature 2 degrees Celsius below normal to 31.6 degrees Celsius. South Mumbai recorded the minimum temperature at 26.5 degrees Celsius, 2 degree Celsius above normal, even as the maximum temperature was recorded at 32 degrees Celsius, a degree Celsius below normal.

The air quality index (AQI) on Monday was 63 (satisfactory) and is expected to be 58 (satisfactory) on Tuesday.