On Friday, Mumbai awoke to overcast skies as heavy rain continued overnight, leaving several parts of the city waterlogged by the morning. Buses were diverted on multiple routes, causing traffic congestion. Trains were also reportedly running late as a result of waterlogged railway tracks on the harbour and slow lines. The regional meteorological centre predicted that the torrential downpour would continue across parts of Mumbai and its suburbs over the next 24 hours in its daily weather update.
Trains are running 20-25 minutes late due to heavy rain and flooding on the slow line near Kurla-Vidyavihar. Traffic on the slow line between Kurla and Vidyavihar has been rerouted to the fast line. Trains on the harbour line are also 20-25 minutes late, while the trans-harbour line is running smoothly so far, according to the Central Railway’s latest hourly update.
Meanwhile, buses operated by Brihanmumbai Electric Supply & Transport (BEST) have been diverted along at least ten routes in Mumbai, including Sion Road, Gandhi Market, Hindmata Cinema, and Wadala Bridge.
Since Tuesday night, Mumbai has been battered by heavy rains, with several key stretches of road completely flooded. On Thursday and Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a yellow category alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall in isolated areas, and a green alert for Saturday and Sunday.
Heavy rain in Mumbai has the potential to flood low-lying areas of the city, as well as disrupt electricity, water, and local traffic. However, according to the National Weather Service, the intensity of the rain will likely decrease soon, with light to moderate showers in isolated areas.
Since June 1, Mumbai has received a total of 1291.8 mm of rain, which is approximately 48 percent more than the seasonal average. Mumbai has received 302mm of rain in the last week, which is 77 percent more than the seasonal average. According to IMD’s rainfall data, a significant portion of the rainfall deficit for the first 14 days of July has been made up in the last week, though it is still -22 percent below the normal for the period of 376mm.
According to official forecasts, the maximum temperature will rise to 32 degrees Celsius over the next five days (up from 30 degrees Celsius on Wednesday evening) and the minimum temperature will rise to 26 degrees Celsius (up from 24.6 degrees Celsius).
