Pre-monsoon rains to continue till next Sunday

However, more pre-monsoon rain is forecast for the upcoming week, with a yellow alert slated till Wednesday, except for Monday

MUMBAI: Despite a yellow alert, Mumbai saw measured amounts of rainfall on Saturday. However, more pre-monsoon rain is forecast for the upcoming week, with a yellow alert slated till Wednesday, except for Monday.

Thane, India - May - People going through the rain at Mira Road in suburb north of Mumbai, India, on, Saturday, May -17, 2025. ( HT Photo )

A low pressure forming over the Arabian Sea off the coast of Karnataka on May 22 will increase rain activity over Maharashtra from Monday to next Sunday, according to the India Meteorological Department. Isolated areas in Konkan are expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall.

Mumbai continued to be overcast and humid on Saturday, as spots across the city saw rainfall in the range of 10mm to 20mm in the morning, mostly between 8am and 9am. IMD forecasts this weather to continue till Wednesday.

In the island city, Nair Hospital saw 14mm of rainfall, while in the eastern suburbs, Kurla and Powai witnessed 12mm. Several spots in the western suburbs too saw showers, the highest being in Khar West at 20mm, Bandra West at 18mm, followed by Jogeshwari with 16mm, BKC with 14mm, Marol at 13mm, and Aarey Colony in Goregaon with 11mm.

In the 24 hours till 8.30am on Saturday, it was only the IMD’s Colaba station that had seen 8mm of rainfall, while Santacruz only witnessed trace amounts.

Thunderstorms, lightning, and light to moderate rainfall with winds at 40-50 kmph are expected in isolated areas in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad till Friday. The two exceptions are Mumbai and Palghar on Monday, when a green alert for light and moderate rain is issued. The southwest monsoon is advancing earlier than usual in the south, as per the IMD.

Little relief was offered from the heat, which continued to be slightly above normal, with high levels of humidity. Santacruz saw a maximum of 34.4°C, 0.7°C higher than usual, while Colaba saw a high of 34.2°C, which is 0.2°C over usual. While the minimum was above normal by 0.8°C in Santacruz at 27.9°C, it was 1.2°C below normal at the Colaba observatory, reaching 26.2°C.­

While the normal onset of monsoon in Mumbai lies between June 10 and 15, the southwest monsoon is advancing earlier than usual in the south. “Conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest Monsoon over some more parts of south Arabian Sea, Maldives and Comorin area; some more parts of South Bay of Bengal; some more parts of central Bay of Bengal, and some parts of northeast Bay of Bengal during next 3-4 days,” said the IMD.