Orange alert: Heavy rainfall in Mumbai, IMD predicts more

This year, the city has witnessed the onset of monsoon 10 days before the usual date of June 5

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday declared an early onset of monsoon and upgraded the alert in city from yellow to orange (very heavy rainfall). The city will continue to be under yellow alert till Thursday, it added.

Mumbai city recorded 37mm of rainfall, Eastern suburbs received 15 mm and Western suburbs received 18mm in the last 24 hours. (PTI photo)

This year, the city has witnessed the onset of monsoon ten days before the usual date of June 5 due to the southwest monsoon which occurred in Maharashtra on May 25. This year, it was also the earliest onset in Mumbai since 1990 in 35 years, when it arrived on May 20.

According to the rain stations of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), Mumbai city recorded 37mm of rainfall, Eastern suburbs received 15 mm and Western suburbs received 18mm in the last 24 hours, as of 8am on Monday.

The annual total rainfall recorded since pre-monsoon showers began on March 1 was 294.6mm at the Santacruz observatory and 197.8mm at the Colaba station.

“We had expected monsoon to set in after two days, but rainy season has already started owing to the rainfall in Konkan areas and neighbouring district of Raigad which also led to Colaba recording heavy rainfall today,” said Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD.

There was waterlogging from several spots in the city including Sion circle, Dadar TT, Hindmata, Bindu Madhav junction in Worli and Five gardens area, while four tree branches fell in city and five in western suburbs.

According to the forecast, Thane, Raigad, and Sindhudurg will also receive heavy rainfall.