Mumbai and surrounding areas braced themselves for a deluge on Wednesday evening, as heavy rainfall, lightning, and thunderstorms swept across the region. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai, Thane, and adjoining areas, warning of persistent downpours until 8 am on Thursday. This heavy rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds, brought significant challenges to the city’s infrastructure and daily life.
For September 25th, the IMD issued a red alert for five districts – Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Pune, signaling an expectation of heavy to very heavy rainfall. An orange alert was also issued for Palghar, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna, and Beed, signifying the potential for moderate to heavy rainfall in these areas.
The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Mumbai stated that thunderstorms with heavy to very heavy rainfall and gusty winds reaching 40-50 kmph were highly likely throughout the night and early morning hours. “Moderate widespread rainfall over Mumbai Thane Navi Mumbai in the past 6 hrs. Trend likely to continue (for) next few hours, intermittent showers, cloudy skies,” tweeted K S Hosalikar, Head-IMD Pune, on X.
Looking ahead to September 26th, the RMC issued a red alert for Palghar and Nashik, predicting extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds in isolated areas. An orange alert was issued for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Dhule, Nandurbar, and Pune, indicating the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in these regions.
The downpour led to widespread waterlogging and traffic congestion in Mumbai. The Mumbai Traffic Police reported slow traffic movement at several locations, including Bhatia Bagh, CST Junction, BMC Road, GPO, and Avatar Singh Bedi Chowk. Traffic on the south and north channels in Bandra and BKC was also impacted by the heavy rainfall. Additionally, a taxi breakdown on the northbound Sion Bridge and a truck breakdown at Dharavi T Junction further exacerbated traffic delays.
According to the IMD, isolated extremely heavy rainfall is anticipated across the Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra regions on September 25th and 26th. The IMD highlighted the slow movement of these rain bands, suggesting a high likelihood of travel disruptions. “These rain bands are so huge and moving in a slow manner that it is likely to cause travel disruptions. TC, Mumbaikars!,” posted X handle ‘Mumbai Rains,’ managed by Rushikesh Agre, an independent weather enthusiast.
Social media users shared numerous videos showcasing the heavy rain’s impact, with many highlighting the slow traffic movement and waterlogging in different parts of the city. Mumbai’s residents were advised to exercise caution and remain updated on the evolving weather conditions.
