IMD Issues Orange Alert For Thane And Mumbai As Heavy Rains Return After Dry Spell
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued weather alerts for Thane, Mumbai, and Palghar, warning of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall from Monday morning through Wednesday morning, July 22. The orange and yellow alerts mark the return of wet weather to the region after a dry spell that began on July 10.
On Monday, the weather bureau initially sounded multiple yellow nowcast warnings. These were later upgraded to an orange nowcast warning due to the possibility of moderate to intense spells of rain over a span of three hours. While the region has experienced intermittent moderate rain since Saturday, weather officials expect the precipitation to intensify starting Tuesday, July 21, with heavy rainfall projected in isolated pockets.
Under the current forecasts, Thane and Palghar have been placed on an orange alert for heavy rains. Coastal Mumbai is under a yellow warning for the next 24 hours, which will transition into an orange warning alongside Thane and Palghar from Tuesday through Wednesday morning.
Despite the forecast for heavy showers, weather observers maintained that the upcoming rain spell is unlikely to match the intensity of the downpours that battered the region in the first week of July. During that period, between July 1 and July 7, Mumbai’s Santacruz station recorded over 1,000 mm of rainfall as active weather systems swept the Konkan region.
July remains the wettest month of the year for the area, with Mumbai receiving an average of 920 mm of rain. The region had experienced a significant lull, receiving only sparse showers since July 10, before moderate to heavy rain returned through Sunday night.
According to data from the weather bureau, the suburban observatory in Santacruz recorded 88.4 mm of rainfall between 8:30 a.m. on Sunday and Monday morning. In contrast, the coastal observatory in Colaba remained relatively dry, recording 5.3 mm of rainfall during the same 24-hour period.
The recent uptick in rainfall has also resulted in a spike in local lake levels. The seven lakes that cater to the region's daily water needs have risen to 7.82 lakh million litres, which represents 54.05 percent of their total capacity.
