Mumbai Writes New Monsoon Records: Weather Conditions To Improve

The early onset of the southwest monsoon has triggered mayhem all along the Western Ghats, from Kerala to South Gujarat, across Coastal Karnataka, Goa, and Konkan. After making an early entry over Kerala on 24th May, the monsoon current touched the southern tip of Maharashtra on the West Coast on 25th May. This was the earliest arrival of monsoon over the state in the last 35 years. In the next 24 hours, the monsoon stream sped enough to reach the capital city, Mumbai. The monsoon made a strong and forceful onset, lashing the suburbs of the city with over 100mm of rainfall.

The southwest monsoon made its earliest onset ever, overtaking its earlier record incursions on 29th May in 1956, 1962, and 1971. It took over 50 years to write the new record, which looks difficult to be surpassed, maybe for a couple of decades. The depression over the east-central Arabian Sea was instrumental in expediting the early arrival of the seasonal current. The weather system, after weakening to a low pressure, had shifted inland, accentuating the rainfall activity over Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra for a couple of days.

Both the official observatories of the city, Santacruz and Colaba, gathered a pelter of nonstop rains for over 24 hours. The month of May is not at all considered rainy for the city and suburbs. It merely has a monthly normal of just 11 mm of rainfall. Colaba has amassed a total of 455 mm of rainfall till this morning, and the rains continue. This figure is somewhere close to the monthly rainfall of 493mm for the city in June. It has breached its earlier highest record of 279.4mm of May 1918. Santacruz has also recorded heavy rainfall of 334.7mm during the month, but still short of its earlier high of 387mm in May 2000. This has been the wettest May for the city in over a century.

The weather conditions are likely to improve over the city and the surrounding areas. The low pressure over Madhya Maharashtra has diffused and is seen as cyclonic circulation in the lower levels. This is also likely to become insignificant. However, there is another circulation in the Arabian Sea, off the Konkan Coast. The remnant effect of erstwhile depression and the influence of this circulation are keeping the monsoon active over the Konkan region.  

The intensity and spread of rains will gradually lower for the city and suburbs from hereon. Overcast sky, light to moderate intermittent rains interspersed by one odd heavy shower will remain the highlights for most parts of the city today. The conditions are unlikely to deteriorate anymore, and the worst seems to be over, for the time being. Only light and fleeting showers are expected over and around the city, typical monsoon for Mumbai, from tomorrow onwards. These conditions will stay good for the subsequent week or so. Mumbai will have to wait for the fresh surge to resume monsoon activity.