Mumbai rains: Heavy downpour in suburbs on Friday morning; intense showers likely over Andheri, Goregaon, Dadar

Parts of Mumbai and suburbs recorded rains of different intensities on Friday morning, a day after India Meteorological Department's (IMD) red alert for city turned out to be a damp squib with barely any rains. Weather agency Skymet predicted intense shower to continue in some places like Andheri, Goregaon, Vikroli, Santacruz, Bandra, Dadar, Malabar Hill and Colaba over the next two hours.

Taking to Twitter, Skymet Weather's Mahesh Palawat explained rainfall in Mumbai was reduced on Thursday because a cyclonic circulation over central Maharashtra that moved to the northeast of the Arabian Sea. "Active monsoon surge weakened and resulted in weak winds which reduces moisture incursion," Palawat said.

During the span of 21 hours until 5.30 am on Friday, rainfall of moderate-intensity was observed over the eastern suburbs of Mumbai. While, Santa Cruz recorded only
1 mm of rain during the same time span, reported Skymet.

Meanwhile, the northern suburbs such as Palghar and adjoining areas managed to receive heavy rains accompanied by thundershower.

According to The Times of India, after withdrawing the red alert by Thursday afternoon, IMD adjusted the warning to an orange alert. The report also mentioned a forecast heavy to very heavy rains at isolated places for Friday.

Representational image. AP

The Maharashtra government had declared a holiday for schools and colleges in the city on Thursday after the weather department issued a 'red alert' for Mumbai. However, as people geared up to tackle the situation, the high rainfall warning fell flat.

While the city received some showers late Wednesday night, it remained almost dry on Thursday.

The school education minister Ashish Shelar's advisory for closure of schools and colleges issued late on Wednesday night was applied followed, as several educational institutions in the city and suburbs remained open.

The irregular heating and cooling of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal pushed cloud precipitation in Mumbai to a new high, with the city recording its wettest monsoon season in 2019 since 1954.

When contacted, an IMD official said, "This year there has been continuous depression over Madhya Pradesh at regular intervals, which increased the overall rainfall in Mumbai and neighbouring districts."

"The state capital has received a total 3,467 mm rain from 1 June till 17 September, surpassing the 3,451 mm downpour recorded in 1954. With 11 more days left in this month, the city will get a record rainfall figure," he said.

Meanwhile, the IMD on Friday predicted that isolated places over Konkan and Goa are likely to receive heavy rainfall.

The weather forecasting agency also predicted that certain places over Gujarat state and Madhya Maharashtra are also likely to receive heavy downpour throughout the day.

"Heavy rainfall at isolated places over Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Coastal Karnataka," the IMD stated in its All India Weather Warning Bulletin.

Strong winds, speed reaching 40 to 50 kmph, likely to prevail over east-central and the adjoining northeast Arabian Sea, and the coasts of south Gujarat and north Maharashtra.

Squally weather is likely to prevail over southeast Bay of Bengal. Fishermen had been advised by the IMD not to venture into these areas for the next few days.

With inputs from agencies

Also read: IMD issues red alert for Mumbai, predicts very heavy rains from Thursday; Palghar, Thane, and Raigad also set for heavy downpour