Monsoon misses date with Mumbai

Mumbai’s monsoon normally begins on June 10, but it is unlikely to start on Wednesday, as the Met department said the rains that reached Ratnagiri on time on Monday, has not moved ahead.

Mumbai’s monsoon normally begins on June 10, but it is unlikely to start on Wednesday, as the Met department said the rains that reached Ratnagiri on time on Monday, has not moved ahead.

“The monsoon currents have become weak. We are not in a position to say when it will reach Mumbai,” said VK Rajeev, director, western region, India Meteorological Department.

So, despite some short, heavy spells of rain that cooled the city and suburbs on Sunday, for a second day in a row, the city did not see any pre-monsoon showers.

Temperatures in the suburbs continued to stay high. The maximum temperature in the suburbs was 36.4 degrees Celsius, three degrees above normal, while at south Mumbai, it was 33.9 degrees Celsius.

Minimum temperatures stayed normal at both weather stations: Santacruz recorded 26.6 degrees Celsius, and at Colaba, it was 26.5 degrees.

Humidity levels at Colaba were at a high at 79%, while at Santacruz it was 57%.

An IMD weather bulletin said the cyclonic storm was around 830km west of Mumbai, 570km west-southwest of Veraval (Gujarat), 640kms east-southeast of Sur (Oman) and 800kms east-southeast of Muscat (Oman).

“The system will intensify further into a severe cyclonic storm, move initially northwestwards during the next 24 hours and west-northwestwards thereafter.

“It will cross the Oman coast as a cyclonic storm between Sur and Mina Sultan Qaboos, Muscat around the night of June 11, 2015,” the bulletin read.

This, however, is not affecting the monsoon, weather officials said.