Mumbai likely to receive rainfall over the week

Mumbai: Mumbaikars are likely to witness rainfall in the coming week owing to a rare occurrence. The weather bureau and meteorology experts said formation of a tropical depression (low pressure weather system) over Arabian Sea is a rare phenomenon for March and is a first for the country.

According to experts, such a weather system is observed only in the months of April and May. India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials and independent weather agencies have called this a rare occurrence. The impact of this weather system, currently over southeast Arabian Sea, has paved the way for rain over south India states such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala and light showers have been predicted for Karnataka, Maharashtra including Mumbai, Pune and Nashik, over the weekend.

“We have checked the records and this is the first weather depression in  Arabian Sea since records began in 1891,” said Akshay Deoras, meteorologist, adding, “Moisture from this depression will form clouds over Maharashtra, which will lead to a drop in day temperatures for coastal and interiors parts of the state on Thursday and Friday. It is advisable for farmers and local agricultural markets to protect harvested or ready to harvest crops such as wheat, jowar and horticultural crops during these light showers.”

The state government issued a weather advisory on Wednesday evening, highlighting cloudy weather, drop in maximum temperatures and the possibility of light rain over Konkan (including Mumbai), central Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha over the weekend. “It is correct that this is the first such historical documentation of a weather system developing over the Arabian Sea during the month of March that might give rain over the west coast,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head of climate services, IMD.

Mumbai, however, has recorded rainfall in March — 10mm on March 5, 2016, 6.5mm on March 1, 2015, and 12.7mm rain on March 10, 2012, which is the all-time high 24-hour rainfall for the month. Mohapatra added that this is the first time that such weather conditions affected the west coast in March.