The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday evening warned of severe thunderstorms accompanied with lightning striking isolated places in the city.
IMD officials recorded thunderstorm activity in the western suburbs of Andheri and Goregaon as the city witnessed 14.46 mm of rainfall. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s Disaster Management Unit said that the sudden rainfall did not hamper transport services.
Praveen Jadhav, 35, died after he was struck by lightning at Mahalaxmi on Friday evening. Jadhav’s legs were severely burnt. The body would be handed over to the family after a post-mortem on Saturday.
Withdrawal of monsoon
Weather conditions changed drastically from being humid and sultry owing to the presence of a cyclonic circulation over east-central Arabian Sea. “The system is moving in a north-westward direction along with the combined effect of a trough extending up to a cyclonic circulation in Telangana,” IMD officials said. S.G. Kambale, a scientist at IMD Mumbai, said the thunderstorms were “normal symptoms” of monsoon’s withdrawal.
Skymet, a private weather forcaster agency, said in a report that while rainfall intensity will remain on the lighter side with isolated moderate spells, there would be an increase in rainfall on October 8.
Akshay Deoras, an independent meteorologist, said, “More thunderstorms are expected in Vidarbha, Marathwada, Madhya-Maharashtra and Mumbai-Konkan region till about October 12. After that the monsoon will withdraw from the State.”
Mr. Deoras said the chances of getting a forecast wrong are high if atmospheric conditions are not properly monitored.