Mumbai was severely hit by a thunderstorm, preceded by dust storms accompanied by gale-speed winds, yesterday afternoon. Dusty winds, followed by hefty showers reduced visibility to a few hundred meters. The maiden pre-monsoon stormy activity lasted between 3 p.m. and 6.30 p.m. The rainfall brought relief from the heat but not without a trail of problems and damage to life and property.
The airport operations were suspended for take-offs and landing. Nearly 15 flights were diverted. Suburban services on the Central Railway and some of the Metro services were suspended due to different reasons. Some trees were uprooted and commuting was obstructed for some time, due to traffic snarls. A big billboard in Ghatkopar came crashing down due to strong winds, trapping the structure, vehicles, workers and visitors. Nearly 14 lives were lost and many others were injured.
Weather activity build-up was rather rapid, giving very little notice, as a warning of a storm. This was a freak weather phenomenon, catching everyone off guard, and commencing the season on a disastrous note. The Santacruz observatory recorded 21mm rainfall and measured gusty winds with speed between 50-60 kmh.
South Peninsula has picked up pre-monsoon activity for the last few days. Along with the wind discontinuity, off the coast, over land, there is a north-south trough extending from Coastal Karnataka to Konkan, across Goa. There was fairly widespread activity all along the Konkan region. Even, the lee side of the Ghats had rain and thunderstorms covering Pune, Nashik, Sangli, Satara, Ahmednagar and the neighbourhood.
More pre-monsoon showers are likely for Mumbai and suburbs. Rain and thundershowers are likely between the 15th and 17th of May, more so, on the first two days. With the likely arrival of the monsoon stream over the Bay Islands, later this week, a change in the wind pattern will follow in the Arabian Sea, as well. Consequently, the wind stream will become active all along the West Coast. There is an uptick likely in the pre-monsoon activity, all along the coast. Aided by the orography of the region, thunderstorm activity will increase for Mumbai and its suburbs and continue till the arrival of the monsoon.
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