Heavy rains lash Konkan, Goa; Thane-Belapur tops with 190mm

PUNE: A strong revival of the monsoon resulted in heavy to very heavy rains at 23 places in Konkan and Goa over the 24 hours ending 8.30am on Tuesday. Several locations in Konkan recorded triple-digit rains over the period, including Thane-Belapur (190mm), Uran (170mm) and Ratnagiri and Thane (140mm).
Rains in isolated parts of the state will continue to be heavy while Pune city will receive moderate showers.
The 190mm rain that Thane-Belapur received was the second-highest downpour during the 24-hour period, after Kollur in Karnataka at 210mm. At least 10 locations in the state recorded triple-digit rain during the period.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, told TOI that a cyclonic circulation has formed over Kutch and its neighbourhood, which was expected to shift to north Maharashtra. “Earlier conditions that activated the monsoon in the state will stay, like the offshore trough from the south Maharashtra coast to the Kerala coast, the monsoon low over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Odisha-West Bengal coasts, as well as the East-West shear zone tilting southwards,” he said.
Kashyapi said that though the monsoon low from Bay of Bengal has a slow movement, it is the combined effect of these factors that made the monsoon active to vigorous not only in Konkan, but in major parts of the state.
Kashyapi said there was significant clouding over Maharashtra on Tuesday, as the satellite images were indicating, with strong westerlies coming from the Arabian Sea. “We expect the rainfall activity to reduce from September 5 forenoon in Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha, but Konkan would continue to remain on a isolated heavy rain warning till September 6-7,” he said.
In the 24-hour period ending 8.30pm on Tuesday, only Gaganbawada in Madhya Maharashtra received triple-digit rains (110mm), while four locations in Vidarbha received heavy rains — Desaiganj, Kurkheda, Umrer and Arjuni Morgaon.
On September 4 and 5 too, heavy to very heavy rains are expected at isolated locations in Konkan-Goa and heavy rains at isolated places in Madhya Maharashtra. The ghat areas in Pune and Satara districts will continue to have the “heavy rain at isolated places” warning till September 5. Kolhapur district, meanwhile, is likely to see heavy rain at isolated places in the ghat areas on September 4 only.
The IMD expects light to moderate rains over Pune city too on September 4, with spells of intense, moderate rain at times.