Expect more rain today: Met

All Mumbaiites, who had put away their umbrellas and windcheaters, will have to pull them out of the closet, as the weathermen have predicted that the city is expected to receive some more rainfall on Tuesday.

All Mumbaiites, who had put away their umbrellas and windcheaters, will have to pull them out of the closet, as the weathermen have predicted that the city is expected to receive some more rainfall on Tuesday.

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After a week’s dry spell, the city woke up to dark clouds and heavy rain on Monday and the cloud cover is expected to stay on for another day.

“There was a cyclonic air circulation on the Gujarat coast, which moved to the Arabian Sea and subsequently to the Mumbai coast,” said RV Sharma, deputy director general, western region, India Meteorological Department (IMD). “Increase in moisture content along with low cloud formation resulted in rain for Mumbai. But, this phenomenon should end by Tuesday afternoon.”

Till 9.30pm on Monday, Colaba had received 28.4 mm rainfall and Santacruz recorded 17.2 mm.

While monsoon has withdrawn from north Indian states like Jammu & Kashmir, Delhi, Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, there is some more time before the season ends in Mumbai. Usually, monsoon withdraws from the city in the second week of October.

“There is a low pressure area expected in the Bay of Bengal, which could become stronger and reach Andhra Pradesh. The humidity has to come down from the present 90 per cent and moisture has to dry out for the rain to stop,” added Sharma.

Mumbaiites, however, who have been sweltering in the October heat, welcomed Monday’s downpour.

“The morning rain did take me by surprise and I had to lug my umbrella, but look at how pleasant the climate has been throughout the day,” said Deepa Shah, a software professional. “This weather is a bonus for the city, which has seen scorching heat since the end of September.”

In the last week of September, maximum temperature in the city had soared to 35 degree Celsius. On a couple of days, the temperature even reached 35.6 degree Celsius. As for the monsoon, rainfall in Mumbai crossed the average mark of 2,294 mm mid-season on August 17, as the city witnessed highest rainfall since 2005.