Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department on Sunday predicted heavy rainfall for Mumbai and its adjoining areas for the next 2-3 days. It has also predicted ‘heavy to very heavy rainfall’ at isolated places in other parts of the state.
“The city is likely to receive heavy to extremely heavy rain. It will also be buffeted by strong winds at 40-50 kilometres per hour. The disturbance is likely to persist for the next 2-3 days,” said a senior IMD official.
KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, said the formation of low pressure over Bay of Bengal has resulted in torrential showers in Mumbai and adjoining areas.
“Actually, there are four factors: One, a low pressure area over the Odisha coast, which has intensified monsoon conditions along the west coast; then there are two cyclonic circulations -- one over northeast Arabian Sea and the other over central India.
Lastly, an easy west wind is further enhancing westerly winds leading to heavy rain,” he said. For the past three months, heavy to very heavy spells of rain have been witnessed during the first week of every month, which helped the city surpass its seasonal and annual average rainfall.
Apart from rain over the past 48 hours, three spells of rain this monsoon -- July 1 and 2 when 375.2 mm was recorded in 24 hours, 219.2 mm from July 26 to 27, and 204 mm between August 3 and 4 – are all identified as ‘extreme’ events.
Mumbai has so far recorded 2,865.3mm rainfall since the beginning of the monsoon and the weather bureau expects the city will surpass the 3,000 mm-mark by the end of the week as more rain is forecast.
