Heavy rain batters Thane and Mulund causing severe traffic delays

Heavy monsoon rainfall battered Thane and its neighbouring eastern suburbs between late Sunday night and Monday morning, causing widespread waterlogging and severe traffic disruptions. The heavy downpour, which was most intense between 12 am and 4 am on Monday, recorded over 100 mm of rain in Thane district and up to 160 mm in nearby Mulund.

The sudden deluge heavily impacted the Monday morning commute for local residents. Large stretches along LBS Marg in Mulund experienced severe waterlogging, which slowed vehicular traffic to a crawl. Further into the western suburbs, the Andheri subway became completely inundated due to the heavy accumulation of water, prompting authorities to halt all vehicular movement.

According to data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) automatic weather stations, the intense four-hour window saw Mulund receive the highest rainfall of 160 mm. Other nearby areas also recorded significant downpours, including Bhandup with 120 mm, Powai with 122 mm, Mankhurd with 123 mm, and Versova with 157 mm. Marol and Oshiwara recorded 108 mm of rain during the same period.

The heavy showers followed a series of nowcast warnings issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) between 10 pm on Sunday and 7 am on Monday. These warnings had predicted the possibility of heavy rain, thunderstorms, and gusty winds across the metropolitan region.

Over the 24-hour period ending at 8:30 am on Monday, the eastern suburbs recorded the highest average rainfall at 113 mm, while the western suburbs received an average of 84 mm. In contrast, the island city division received far less rain, averaging only 37 mm. During this same 24-hour window, the neighbouring Thane district also recorded over 100 mm of rainfall. The IMD's Santacruz observatory recorded a total of 103 mm of rainfall, while the Colaba coastal observatory reported 30.4 mm.