After heavy pre-monsoon showers on Monday night, there was negligible rainfall in most parts of the city on Tuesday.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said the monsoon will arrive in the city before the end of the week, forecasting very heavy rainfall during the weekend.
Mumbaikars got some respite from the sweltering May heat with rainfall as early as June 2. Usually, the first showers hit Mumbai are around June 7, but this time, rain arrived in Kerala three days early as well.
“Various factors are responsible for monsoon, the most important one being south-westerly winds. Monsoon will reach South Konkan and Goa within 48 hours. After that, the south-westerly winds will move northward towards Mumbai. So, the monsoon can hit Mumbai by June 9,” said Ajay Kumar, scientist at the IMD.
The meteorological department has forecast extremely heavy rainfall — more than 200 mm — on Saturday, which may continue the next day.
So far, the city has recorded 77.9 mm rainfall, which is a good 48.9 mm above normal. Although maximum temperatures have dropped, humidity continues to remain high.