Mumbai crosses seasonal rainfall average, heavy showers over catchment areas
With 53.2 mm rain recorded from 8.30 am on Tuesday to 8.30 am on Wednesday, the Colaba weather observatory, representative of south Mumbai, saw its seasonal rain tally at 2,072.2 mm, surpassing the average for the season (2066 mm).
Mumbai witnessed continuous downpours on Wednesday morning, with bursts of intense rain in the suburbs and the southern part of the city helping achieve the rainfall quantum for the season.
The Santacruz weather station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, surpassed its seasonal average rainfall of 2,260.4 mm with 2286.3 mm of rain between June 1 and August 5.
Mumbai has received 385 mm rain over the past 51 hours, which helped take the city past its seasonal average with almost two months still remaining for the monsoons.
Between 8.30 am and 11.30 am on Wednesday, south Mumbai received 51.2 mm of rain while 32.4 mm was recorded in the suburbs.
The Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, had crossed the seasonal average at 8.30 am. With heavy rain over three hours, the tally stood at 2,123.4 mm, against the seasonal average of 2066 mm.
Mumbai’s catchment areas, mostly north of the city, recorded heavy to very heavy rain, which is expected to increase the level of lakes that supply water to the city.
Since Tuesday, Tulsi lake in Mumbai received the highest rain at 154 mm, followed by Modak Sagar (Thane district) at 141 mm, Vihar lake (Mumbai) at 105 mm, Middle Vaitarna (Thane) at 99 mm, Upper Vaitarna (Nashik) at 97 mm, Bhatsa (Thane) at 88 mm, and Tansa (Thane) at 83 mm.
Water stock across the seven lakes was 35% of the required total even after the intense rainfall. It was 92% at the same time last year.
“With very heavy showers underway over these areas, we expect improvement in the levels over the next 48 hours,” said an official of Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation.
Independent meteorologists explained why Dahanu, Palghar and areas north of Mumbai received more rain.
“The offshore trough (strong wind currents over the Arabian Sea coast) formed as the low pressure system in the Bay of Bengal kept shifting. It had earlier shifted northwards, allowing more rain in areas north of Mumbai. Now the same system has moved slightly towards the south, leading to heavy rain for Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri,” said Sridhar Balasubramanian of the department of mechanical engineering and IDP Climate Studies at the Indian Institute of Technology-Bombay.
He said from Thursday evening onwards, the rains are expected to ease. “For the next 24 hours, the red alert is expected to continue,” said Balasubramanian.