Rain Paralyses Mumbai: Relief Likely Soon
Key Takeaways:
- Mumbai recorded 984 mm rainfall in the first seven days of July, exceeding the monthly average.
- Heavy rains severely disrupted transport services, including flights, trains and highways.
- The heaviest rainfall belt is now expected to shift towards South Coastal Gujarat and Saurashtra.
- Rain intensity over Mumbai is likely to reduce gradually with lighter showers expected after July 10.
- Forecast Validity: Next 3 to 5 days.
Heavy downpour smashed most parts of Mumbai. The incessant rains wreaked havoc, disrupting normal life for nearly one week now. The airport observatory Santacruz collected a massive 984 mm rainfall in the first seven days, surpassing the monthly average of 919.9 mm for July. Except for last year, the month of July has gathered heavy rainfall, far in excess of its normal, between 2018 and 2024. This includes an all-time high of 1771 mm rainfall in July 2023, an El Nino year.
Prolonged spells of exceptionally heavy rains impacted rail, road and air operations. Rail tracks got flooded and roads turned into streams, restricting commuting. Landslides on the Central Railway network forced diversion of some long-distance trains. The continuous rains disrupted flight operations as some airlines cancelled services, diverted several flights and delayed a large number of departures. Persistent rains caused waterlogging in the adjoining Palghar district, hitting the Mumbai-Ahmedabad rail corridor and closing the Pune-Mumbai carriageway due to landslides. The list of amenities getting disordered was rather large.
The worst seems to be getting over for the current episode, but all is not yet over and done. Rains are intermittent, observing breaks and providing some relief. One or two heavy spells are still likely as the weather system leaves a trail of dense clouds along and off the coast. The extremely heavy rainfall belt will move north of Mumbai first and later over South Coastal Gujarat and the coastline of Saurashtra. Dahanu received the heaviest rainfall of 399 mm in 24 hours. Surat, Bhavnagar, Amreli and Mahuva also recorded heavy rainfall.
Mumbai will have a breather, and the intensity and spread of rains will decrease. Scattered rains with isolated heavy spells will continue tomorrow as well. However, the excruciating rains will be far and few, and the city will be relieved of monsoon misery anytime soon. Light to moderate showers, without spoiling normal operations, are expected on July 9 and 10. The city will have a pause, and only very light rainfall is likely till mid-July.
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