Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday predicted ‘heavy to very heavy rain’ at isolated places in Mumbai and its adjoining areas for the next four days. The city has so far recorded 904.3mm from September 1-15 (until 8.30pm), which is just 0.3mm short of the September 1993 record of 904.6mm.
“The all-time record was in 1954 when 920mm was recorded for September. The city will witness more rainfall in the remaining days of September, so there is a good chance that the all-time record of 1954 will be broken this year,” said an IMD official.
A yellow alert has been issued for Mumbai and Thane, while there is an orange alert for Palghar. Though the intensity of rainfall will reduce all across these three districts on Monday, isolated heavy showers cannot be ruled out. “Cloudy skies with possibility of moderate to heavy rains in city and suburbs for next four days. We have forecast light to moderate rain for neighbouring Thane and heavy rain at isolated places for Palghar and Raigad districts,” he said. IMD officials said the continuous formation of cyclic circulation and monsoon low-pressure systems in the Bay of Bengal helped overcome the rainfall deficit across India. “The offshore trough remained active for a longer period and was sensitive to low-pressure systems forming in the Bay of Bengal. Nearly all of the meteorological subdivisions along the west coast and west-central parts of India have received excess rainfall this season,” he said.
There is heavy rainfall in store for Madhya Maharashtra and Konkan, and light rainfall for Vidarbha region from September 18 evening. “A weather system is expected over the west coast, which might increase rainfall in southern parts of the state,” an official from the IMD said. Meanwhile, from June 1 to Sunday 8.30am, IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 3,453.4mm rain, 1,393.4 mm above normal. The Colaba weather station recorded 2,374.4mm for the same period, 493.1mm above normal.
