IMD predicts heavy to very heavy rain in Mumbai from Thursday

Mumbai is just 5.6mm short of surpassing its highest all-time September rainfall record with 914.4 mm rain recorded till September 16.

Mumbai may witness another spell of rainy weather, with the weather bureau predicting heavy to very heavy rain from Thursday.

Despite a 15-day delay in onset, Mumbai has recorded its wettest monsoon season ever with 3,466.8mm rain from June to September 16, surpassing the previous high of 3,451.6mm from 1954. (HT image)

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) made the prediction in a district-wise forecast for monsoon conditions across the state between September 18 and 25. The IMD predicted “heavy rainfall warning across isolated areas” for Palghar and Thane districts from Tuesday onwards while “heavy to very heavy rain across isolated areas” from Thursday for Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, and Raigad districts.

Mumbai is just 5.6mm short of surpassing its highest all-time September rainfall record with 914.4 mm rain recorded till September 16. The all-time record is from 1954, when 920mm was recorded over the month.

Despite a 15-day delay in onset, Mumbai has recorded its wettest monsoon season ever with 3,466.8mm rain from June to September 16, surpassing the previous high of 3,451.6mm from 1954.

IMD officials said a wind system over west Madhya Pradesh (MP) is likely to move over Maharashtra, leading to an increase in rainfall. “An upper air cyclonic circulation, which is giving heavy rain over MP, persists, and our weather models indicate its movement towards Maharashtra by September 18. For the Mumbai coast, it will strengthen westerly winds paving the way for heavy to very heavy rain across isolated areas on Thursday and Friday,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, IMD Pune.

Kashyapi added that intensity of rain is likely to be much more towards Palghar and Thane during this time.

“Monsoon withdrawal is not expected over Maharashtra in September at all, and chances for withdrawal to begin from the state may start around the end of October first week,” he said.

On Monday, south Mumbai recorded more rain than the suburbs with 13.2mm at the Colaba weather observatory and 4mm at Santacruz between 8.30am and 5.30pm. The maximum and minimum temperatures were close to the normal mark in south Mumbai and almost a degree Celsius below normal in the suburbs.

The weather bureau predicted a few spells of rain in the city and suburbs for Tuesday.