Cyclone Gulab brings 100mm of rain to Mumbai

Mumbai received 100.5mm of heavy rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Wednesday, due to the passage of the remnants of Cyclone Gulab over the region as the weather system travelled westwards towards the Arabian Sea.

The city received 100.5mm of heavy rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Wednesday, due to the passage of the remnants of Cyclone Gulab over the region as the weather system travelled westwards towards the Arabian Sea. However, as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and experts, the influence of the weather system receded during the day, with the met department’s monitoring station in Santacruz recording just 15.4mm of rain in the nine hours ending 5.30pm.

The city received 100.5mm of heavy rain in the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Wednesday, due to the passage of the remnants of Cyclone Gulab over the region as the weather system travelled westwards towards the Arabian Sea. However, as forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and experts, the influence of the weather system receded during the day, with the met department’s monitoring station in Santacruz recording just 15.4mm of rain in the nine hours ending 5.30pm. (VIJAY BATE/HT PHOTO)

The cyclonic storm turned into a well-marked low pressure area on Tuesday, covering Gujarat on Tuesday, and is expected to emerge in the northeast Arabian Sea around Thursday. The system may further intensify on Friday, leading to the development of cyclone Shaheen which is then expected to move toward either Pakistan or the middle-east, IMD officials have said.

“Though chances are less, we cannot rule out the possibility of its intensification into a cyclone. The low-pressure area (remnants of Gulab) will move westwards across central India, bringing a lot of rain in the region... With an incursion of moisture from the Arabian Sea, the system will be reinvigorated. Rapid intensification of the low-pressure system cannot be ruled out now because the ocean and atmospheric conditions are favourable. The cyclone or depression will move towards northern parts of the Arabian Sea,” Sunitha Devi, in charge of cyclones at IMD, said.

As it passed through the state, Marathwada sub-region bore the most damage. At least 17 people were killed in Maharashtra due to heavy rain, which triggered floods, thunderstorms and lightning strikes over the past two days, which also led to significant damage of kharif crops. Though some respite is now expected from Thursday, there will be more showers to come in the first week of October due to delayed withdrawal of monsoon, which would lead to further crop damage.

Mumbai, meanwhile, has been placed a green category weather alert by the IMD on Thursday, indicating chances of moderate rain. Since June 1, the city has received a total of 3152.7mm of rain, which is well above the seasonal long period average of 2,205mm. This marks the third consecutive year that Mumbai has recorded over 3,000mm of rain during the monsoon.