Colaba Doppler Weather Radar Breaks Down for Two Weeks Amid Heavy Mumbai Rains

The India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) S-band Doppler weather radar in Colaba, Mumbai, has been out of service for nearly two weeks due to a technical malfunction, disrupting live monitoring and short nowcast warnings during a period of heavy rainfall.

Officials stated that the 15-year-old radar broke down after one of its spare parts malfunctioned. A replacement part is currently being transported from a Bharat Heavy Electricals Limited (BHEL) workshop in Bangalore. However, the delivery of the consignment has been delayed due to the ongoing heavy rains.

Despite the malfunction, IMD officials assured that the city's overall weather forecasting system has not been impacted. The department is currently utilizing its secondary Doppler radar located in Veravali, in Maharashtra’s Palghar district, to detect and forecast meteorological activities.

While the Colaba S-band radar has a surveillance radius of 500 km and is highly suited for monsoon monitoring due to its ability to see through intense rain, the secondary Veravali C-band radar has a smaller surveillance radius of 250 km.

To maintain primary forecasting services, such as preparing weather charts and issuing five-day forecasts, the IMD is relying on satellite imagery and numerical weather prediction. This incident marks the second time within a year that the Colaba radar has experienced a malfunction.

The breakdown comes as Mumbai experiences intense monsoon activity. Over a recent four-day period, the city received heavy rainfall, including a red nowcast warning. The IMD's Santacruz station recorded 205 mm of rain, while the Colaba coastal observatory registered 158 mm of rain in a 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on a Thursday. Other areas like Andheri, Powai, Bhandup, and Wadala also recorded rainfall levels above 200 mm.