Mumbai, the financial capital of India, braced itself for another round of heavy downpours on Wednesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert warning for Mumbai, Maharashtra, extending until 8:30 am on September 26th, prompting the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) to declare a holiday for all schools and colleges in the city on Thursday, September 26th.
Heavy rainfall led to disruptions in train services across the city. Central Railways reported that several locations between Vidyavihar and Mulund stations on the Up and Down slow train lines were affected from 9:10 pm onwards. Despite the downpour, the Western Railways reported that local trains on its Mumbai Suburban network were running normally.
Mumbai’s traffic infrastructure faced challenges due to the heavy rain. The Mumbai Traffic Police announced the closure of the Andheri subway due to waterlogging, diverting southbound traffic via the Gokhale Bridge. Vehicular traffic was also stopped at the Malad Subway, which was flooded with 2 to 2.5 feet of water, and diverted via Sainath Road. Waterlogging also affected Sakhar Panchayat and Hindmata, slowing down vehicular movement.
The IMD has predicted thunderstorms with lightning and intense rainfall, accompanied by gusty winds reaching speeds of 40-50 km/h in several districts of Maharashtra, including isolated areas in Mumbai, Palghar, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Solapur, and Satara. These conditions are expected to persist over the next few hours.
Besides Mumbai, the IMD issued a red alert for Thane, Palghar, and Raigad districts, while Ratnagiri was placed under alert for September 26th, signifying the potential for severe weather conditions that could impact daily life and safety.
The IMD’s daily weather bulletin forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated locations across various regions, including Konkan & Goa, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, East Madhya Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim, Marathwada, and Coastal Karnataka. Heavy rainfall was also anticipated in Rayalaseema, the Gujarat Region, Chhattisgarh, West Madhya Pradesh, Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha, Madhya Maharashtra, Interior Karnataka, and Telangana.
In its forecast for Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal, the IMD predicted light to moderate rain at isolated places from September 26th to September 30th, with strong surface winds reaching speeds of 30-40 km/h on Thursday. The IMD also predicted moderate rain with lightning likely to occur in North Tamil Nadu in the next seven days and temperature likely to soar 2-4°C above normal. Due to humid air and high temperatures, hot and discomforting weather is very likely to prevail in isolated pockets over Tamilnadu. It also predicts that there will be hot and uncomfortable weather in isolated areas of Puducherry and Karaikal.
Mumbai residents are advised to stay vigilant and take necessary precautions to avoid potential flooding and disruptions caused by the thunderstorms. The IMD Mumbai continues to monitor the situation closely, providing timely updates to keep the public informed.
