Several parts of Mumbai along with satellite cities of Thane and Navi Mumbai woke up to heavy rainfall on Friday morning.
The cyclonic storm Maha that formed over north-east Arabian Sea moved towards the east and north-east with wind speeds up to 12 kmph. Heavy rain has been reported at Borivali, Kandivali and Malad in the financial capital. The rain intensified in the early morning hours today.
The cyclone Maha fizzled out into the Arabian Sea as a "depression" without making a landfall in Gujarat, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Thursday, according to news agency Press Trust of India.
IMD Deputy Director-General MS Hosalikar blamed the remnants of Cyclone Maha as the cause of the unseasonal downpour as the maximum city received around 5.7 mm of rainfall. In a tweet Hosalikar said, "Rainfall in Mumbai and around in last 24 hrs was light to moderate with more impact on suburbs and Thane area. Post MAHA cyclonic strorm effect causing convection during early morning hours. Thane side still its cloudy as seen from radar. Now sun is out and weather improving."
The IMD further predicted that the city will face light to moderate showers or thunderstorms, along with a cloudy sky over the next 48 hours. The deputy general added that suburbs like Borivali, Chembur, Santacruz witnessed heavier rains. Due to the showers, the temperatures are also expected to drop.
In the last 24 hours ending 8.30 am, Thane recorded 59.94 mm rainfall, taking the season's total to 4,565.10 mm. Thane and Palghar district administrations had stepped up preparedness in the wake of cyclonic storm 'Maha' that weakened into a depression in the Arabian Sea, off Gujarat coast. The Palghar district administration had already ordered closure of educational institutions between November 6 and 8.
