After a dry spell of more than two weeks, Mumbai received its heaviest showers of August between Sunday and Monday, prompting the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue an orange alert for the city Monday. In the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am, the city’s automatic weather station at Santacruz recorded 30.5 mm of rain, however, the rainfall in the city subsided gradually, as Colaba recorded just 8.02 mm of rain during the same period.

The Santacruz observatory had recorded 25.6 mm of rain on Sunday, while Colaba recorded heavier showers with 42.8mm of rain during the same period.

The Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai centre on Monday predicted moderate rainfall across Mumbai and adjoining areas with on and off heavy showers expected in isolated places for the next 24 to 48 hours. Meteorologists and IMD officials attributed the revival to an upper air cyclonic circulation and low-pressure area forming over the Bay of Bengal, which has helped to activate a monsoon trough along the Maharashtra coast and strengthened rain-bearing westerly winds.

“These are signs of a monsoon revival over the Konkan coast. Over Mumbai and adjoining areas we will witness moderate to heavy rainfall for the next 48 hours. The next two weeks will see higher chances of moderate to heavy rains as per the current satellite images. Due to the formation of low-pressure circulation over the Bay of Bengal, it is likely to cause moderate to heavy rainfall over Marathwada, Vidarbha, Central Maharashtra and areas under Konkan (including Mumbai and Thane), Shubhangi Bhute, scientist, IMD, regional centre, Mumbai.
The western suburbs of the city, in addition to Thane and Navi Mumbai, witnessed on and off spells of heavy rainfall throughout Sunday, recording between 40 to 70mm of rain in 24 hours ending 8.30 am on Sunday.

Mumbai has been placed under an ‘Orange’ category weather alert for August 16 and a 'Green' alert till August 19, indicating chances of light-moderate rain, which will be scattered and isolated. "More widespread rain is expected around August 19. The maximum and minimum temperatures, for the next week, are expected to dip to a maximum of 28 degrees Celsius to a minimum 25 degrees Celsius respectively," Bhute added.

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