Orange alert for Mumbai tomorrow, Saturday with heavy rain forecast at isolated places: IMD

The total monthly rainfall recorded till June 30 (8.30 am) by the Colaba station was 524.5mm, 16.4 mm below required average of 540.9 mm. (File)

THE MET department (IMD) has issued warnings of heavy rain for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar till July 5, and an ‘orange’ alert with forecast of “heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places” for Friday and Saturday for Mumbai. According to the district forecast and warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai is likely to witness heavy rain at isolated places on Thursday.

Rainfall is likely to increase on the west coast of the state, covering North Konkan, including Mumbai, from July 2. “High convergence of strong moist westerly/southwesterly winds at low tropospheric level from the Arabian Sea is very likely along the west coast till July 5. Under the influence, fairly widespread rainfall activity with isolated heavy to very heavy showers are likely along the west coast, Gujarat, interiors of Maharashtra in the next five days. Heavy to very heavy with extreme heavy showers (over 200 mm) is very likely over Konkan and Goa on July 3 and 4 and over Madhya Maharashtra on July4,” read the IMD bulletin.

After recording heavy rainfall on Monday night, on Wednesday, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 0.1 mm rain for 24 hours ending at 8.30 am and Colaba observatory recorded 0.2 mm of rain in the same time period. The southwest monsoon officially covered Mumbai on June 14, but the city witnessed intense rain only on June 18.

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The total monthly rainfall recorded till June 30 (8.30 am) by the Colaba station was 524.5mm, 16.4 mm below required average of 540.9 mm. It recorded 16 rainy days in June. During the same period, the Santacruz observatory recorded 395 mm of rain, 110 mm short of the required average of 505 mm, and recorded rain on 14 days.

According to data by the IMD since 2010, Colaba and Santacruz recorded rainy days above 20 in June in 2013. The lowest number of rain days was recorded in 2014. Mumbai’s total June rainfall has been the lowest in the last six years — in June 2014 at 87.3 mm.