Having already logged over 100-mm pre-monsoon rainfall this month, India Meteorological Department (IMD) data shows Mumbai’s city district has clocked surplus rainfall of over 736 per cent while Mumbai suburban district has recorded excess rainfall of 677 per cent against the actual Long Period Average (LPA) for the region. Making for an unusual May, heatwaves will continue to elude the region in the days ahead with the IMD sounding an orange alert in Thane and Raigad for Friday while Mumbai and Palghar districts have been placed under a yellow alert until Friday.
As heavy rains lashed Mumbai region late on Tuesday, data furnished by the IMD showed that between Tuesday and Wednesday morning, the Santacruz station logged 62-mm rain while the Colaba station received 23-mm rain. The heavy downpour came two weeks after intermittent spells of heavy rains swept Mumbai, between May 6 and May 9, followed by light to moderate spells.
Amid the city receiving pre-monsoon spells over the past two weeks, the Colaba coastal observatory has received 108.1-mm rain so far, while the Santacruz station has recorded 110-mm this month.
With the normal range of pre-monsoon showers in May hovering around 8-10 mm, data furnished by the IMD on Wednesday showed that Mumbai city district has recorded a surplus 736 per cent rain against the actual Long Period Average (LPA) for the district, while Mumbai suburban district has recorded excess departure by 677 per cent.
Not only Mumbai, but entire Maharashtra — barring Amravati and Bhandara districts — have clocked excess rainfall this month. Met charts show most rainfall has been recorded in Sindhudurg district with an excess departure of 2,641 per cent above normal, followed by Pune district with 2,556 per cent excess rainfall.
This is the city’s wettest May since 2021 when over 256 mm rain battered Mumbai owing to the effect of Cyclone Tauktae.
The heavy downpour has also spurred a dip in temperatures with the city (Santacruz station) on Wednesday waking to a minimum temperature of 22.5 degrees Celsius, which is over five degrees below normal. The maximum temperatures also recorded a dip at 32 degrees Celsius. This came along the heels of Mumbai registering its coldest May day since 1951 on May 8 when the minimum temperatures hit 22.2 degrees Celsius.
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Indicating more rain on the cards, the IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai district until Friday indicating the likelihood of heavy rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds. In Thane, meanwhile, an orange alert has been sounded for Friday owing to the likelihood of “heavy to very heavy rainfall” while Raigad has been placed under an orange alert from Thursday until Friday.
Meteorologists have attributed the ongoing spell of showers to an upper air cyclonic circulation which is slated to form over the central Arabian Sea by Wednesday, which will lead to the formation of a low pressure area in the region.
Watchman, wife critically injured as tree collapses in Powai
A 40-year-old watchman and his wife were critically injured after a huge Gulmohar tree fell in Powai amid heavy pre-monsoon rain, which lashed Mumbai late on Tuesday. The victims have been identified as Prashant Torne (45) and his wife Shobha Torne (40).
The incident was reported at 8.42 pm inside a residential complex, Jal Vayu Vihar in Sector C near the S M Shetty school in Powai. As heavy rains swept suburbs of Mumbai after 7 pm, a huge tree within the society’s compound came crashing down in gusty winds. Prashant, who worked as a watchman in the building, and his wife, who had come to receive him, were struck and injured.
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The two were taken to the nearby Powai Polyclinic for treatment. While Shobha suffered deep head injuries, tree fragments have pierced through Prashant’s skin.
Speaking to The Indian Express, a civic official said this was the second tree to have collapsed within the society’s compound in the past three months. “After the earlier incident, we had issued an intimation notice to the society granting them permission to trim the tree which collapsed on Tuesday night.” In S ward, where the tree fell on Tuesday, at least 225 buildings have been issued notices to trim trees within their compound.