Mumbai Rains, Weather Forecast Today Live news Updates: Thackeray chaired a meeting of the disaster management authority and directed authorities to be prepared to tackle any eventuality given the prediction of heavy rains
Trains on Mumbai's Harbour line came to a halt due to waterlogging on tracks. ANI
Mumbai Rains, Weather Forecast Today LATEST Updates: The first rain of this year's monsoon season in Mumbai on Wednesday caused water-logging in various parts of the city, prompting the traffic police to shut four subways and forcing motorists to abandon their vehicles on roads.
The city police appealed to Mumbaikars not to step out of their homes unnecessarily, and cautioned them against travelling to some of the inundated areas.
While there were fewer vehicles on the city roads amid the downpour, motorcyclists and other two-wheeler riders were unable to maneuver their vehicles at some of the flooded places.
The traffic police closed Milan, Khar, Andheri and Malad subways for motorists due to water-logging at these places.
The IMD has issued a heavy rainfall warning for Mumbai, with downpours expected to persist till 12 June. Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray had asked all the coastal districts' administration to be in a state of preparedness from today onwards.
Waterlogging was reported in various low-lying areas of Mumbai, including Netaji Palkar Chowk, SV Road Baherambaug Junction, Sakkar Panchayat Chowk, Neelam Junction, Govandi, Hindamata Junction, Iqbal Kamani Junction, Dharavi Restaurant, Dharavi, Sion Junction and King Circle.
The south-west monsoon arrived in Mumbai on Wednesday, the IMD announced as heavy rains lashed the country's financial capital and suburbs since early morning.
Water-logging was reported in some low-lying areas, but the local train services remained unaffected, while routes of some BEST buses run the city civic body's transport wing were diverted.
A high tide of over four metres is expected around noon in the Arabian Sea, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) said. "It's monsoon arrival in Mumbai today," said Dr Jayanta Sarkar, head of the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai office.
Several parts of the city and suburbs witnessed heavy rainfall along with thunder in the morning.
According to the IMD, the Colaba observatory (representative of south Mumbai) received 77.4 mm rainfall, while the Santacruz observatory (representative of the suburbs) recorded 59.6 mm downpour in the last 24 hours.
As per the BMC, the island city, eastern suburbs and western suburbs recorded 48.49 mm, 66.99 mm and 48.99 mm rain, respectively, in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am on Wednesday. A high tide of 4.16 metres is expected at 11.43 am, a BMC official said.
The IMD has predicted cloudy sky with moderate rain/ thundershowers in the city and suburbs. There is also a possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places. "It's raining in Mumbai, but trains are running," the Central Railway's chief spokesperson, Shivaji Sutar, said.
The IMD on Saturday confirmed the arrival of the southwest monsoon in Maharashtra as it reached Harnai in coastal Ratnagiri district. But, despite favourable conditions, the monsoon's further progress seemed to be slow.
