Mumbai: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts for Sunday. Further, it has issued an advisory requesting people to stay indoors and avoid going out except in an emergency.
Intermittent rain with heavy to very heavy and extremely heavy falls at isolated places is likely to occur in the city and suburbs for next two days, the IMD has said. Due to strengthening of the monsoon currents and formation of low-pressure area over North West Bay of Bengal, the rainfall intensity is very likely to increase over North Konkan, including Mumbai, in the next 48 hours, said an official.
However, the private weather agency Skymet has said intensity of rains will decrease on Sunday and will increase from July 29. There will be heavy to heavy rainfall in isolated parts of the city, but on July 29, the city will witness 100-150mm of rainfall, Mahesh Palat, vice-president, Skymet.
The maximum temperatures recorded at Colaba and Santacruz observatories hovered around 30.6 and 30.4 degrees Celsius respectively. However, the minimum temperature was between 23 and 24 degrees Celsius.
Humidity levels recorded at Colaba and Santacruz observatories were 92 and 86 per cent respectively. Over the last 24 hours, Mumbai and its adjoining areas have recorded very heavy rainfall. The city received 90mm of rainfall while the suburbs recorded 219mm of rainfall. Similarly, Thane received 160mm, Kalyan recorded 231mm, Murbad and Karjat recorded 332mm and 300mm rainfall respectively. In Ulhasnagar, Ambarnath, Bhiwandi and Shahpur, rainfall received was 296mm, 280mm, 185mm and 195mm respectively.
There was good news in the drought-affected areas of Marathwada, with widespread rainfall in Nanded, Parbhani and Beed in the last 24 hours. According to the IMD, early on Saturday, 150-180mm rainfall was recorded in the suburbs and 50-100 mm in the city, with the Santacruz and Colaba observatories reporting 192mm and 73mm of rain respectively. Meanwhile, heavy rains in Mumbai forced cancellation of 11 flights and diversion of nine incoming aircraft to nearby airports on Saturday.
