Weather Alert: IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai and adjoining areas, know more

Photo courtesy: PTI

Mumbai: The Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rains in Mumbai and adjoining areas from June 9 to June 14.

The Meteorological Department has also issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad on Saturday. In view of this, people have been evacuated from the coastal areas.

The fishermen have also been instructed to stay away from the sea. The Meteorological Department says that the first monsoon rains in Mumbai will be very strong. There was heavy rain in Mumbai and adjoining areas even today. Due to heavy rains, many low-lying areas were flooded.

As per the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Mumbai, up to 30 mm rainfall was recorded in areas like Malvani, Borivali and Dahisar here till 11 am.

Earlier, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday confirmed the arrival of the southwest monsoon in Maharashtra, when it had reached up to Harnai port in coastal Ratnagiri district.

But, despite favourable conditions, the monsoon has still not progressed to Mumbai. When contacted, Shubhangi Bhute, director at the RMC Mumbai, termed the present rainfall in the city as "convective precipitation".

"You can observe that there is thunder, lightning and a constant variation in the intensity of the showers. You can call it pre-monsoon showers, but certainly not the south-west monsoon," she said.

There are no indications of the onset of the monsoon here as yet, the official said.

Severe Weather Warnings over the region during next 5 days. For detailed forecast and warnings kindly visit https://t.co/JYmdPo98tJ pic.twitter.com/b0rlqknETx — Regional Meteorological Center,Mumbai (@RMC_Mumbai) June 8, 2021

"There has to be less variation and rains have to be widespread (to be called as monsoon showers). Apart from Mumbai, there should be rains over central Maharashtra also. Then only we can identify it as the southwest (SW) monsoon, she said.

The official further said going by the present observations, the SW monsoon onset here could be declared after a couple of days- by June 10.

"There is also an off-shore trough in the Arabian Sea, but it is weak. Had it been strong, it could have helped in the advancement of the monsoon," she said.