IMD issues red alert for Ratnagiri and Satara today

Torrential rain since Wednesday night has wreaked havoc in Kolhapur, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts, with several areas in the three districts recording more than 200 mm rain, which is extremely heavy to very rainfall, over the previous 24 hours.

In nine hours, ending 5.30 pm Friday, Kolhapur district received 135.3 mm rain. In the district, Radhanagri recorded 399 mm in 24 hours ending 8.30 am Friday, Gaganbada (356 mm), and Chandgarh (280 mm).

Satara, meanwhile, recorded 46.2 mm in a nine-hour period ending 5.30 pm Friday. In Raigad, Poladpur recorded 305 mm rain in 24 hours ending 8.30 am Friday. Ratnagiri, meanwhile, recorded light rainfall at 1.3 mm.

Earlier, on Friday morning, the IMD had issued a Nowcast Warning, saying intense to very intense spells of rain were very likely at isolated places in the districts of Sindhudurg and Kolhapur over the next few hours. Moderate to intense spells of rain, it said, was also likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Aurangabad, Jalna, Jalgaon, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune, and Sangli over the next few hours.

Meanwhile, dense cloud cover was noted over the west coast and Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha regions of the state.

Light rain, humidity in Mumbai

Mumbai recorded light rainfall and humid conditions Friday, even as the IMD predicted moderate showers and occasional 50 to 60 km per hour (kmph) gusty winds, reaching up to 70 kmph in a few areas, to sweep the city Saturday.

In nine hours, ending 5.30 pm Friday, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 1.8 mm rain while the Colaba centre 8.6 mm rain, both fall in the light rainfall category.

The IMD’s Mumbai centre Friday said, moderate to heavy rain in the city and suburbs was likely over the next 24-hour forecast with the possibility of very heavy rainfall at isolated places. The intensity of the showers was likely to reduce from next week onwards, it said.

Meanwhile, the seven lakes that supply drinking water to the city are at 57.74 per cent of their holding capacity. After record extremely heavy rainfall since Wednesday, moderate showers between 25 mm and 49 mm were recorded at the catchment areas of the waterbodies over the last 24 hours.