Rains, thunderstorms bring relief to scorching city, more expected today
MUMBAI: Gusty winds and heavy rains hit Mumbai, leading to a yellow alert from IMD. Visibility was affected, impacting traffic and IPL match concerns.
MUMBAI: On Tuesday evening, the city saw gusty winds, hazy views and heavy rain as forecasted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which put Mumbai on yellow alert indicating light and moderate rain.
While the city’s weather observatory in Santacruz recorded a maximum temperature of 34 degree Celsius and a minimum of 28.9 degrees, the minimum temperature was 2.5 degrees above normal with gusty winds blowing at 50 to 60 kmph in the evening. The coastal weather station recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius and minimum temperature of 27 degrees.
The city was besieged by thunder and dust storms followed by rains that collectively affected visibility, in turn impacting traffic and pedestrians. The impact of the dust storm was such that objects were sucked up in the air—in one such instance, a piece of cloth landed on the overhead equipment of Western Railway in Dahisar’s north-bound line, which temporarily affected train movement.
A social media user @Tuberosedreams posted, ‘#Mumbai getting hit by crazy winds right now. Construction equipment flying around. Spotted a few bikers stopping and taking cover in shops. Scary scenes! Thanks for the warning, Weather Bureau.’
The BMC alerted people to take precautions before stepping out of the house. While the coastal region saw light drizzles, areas like Borivali, Kandivali, Andheri, Lower Parel, Bhayandar and Powai experienced showers.
Sports aficionados expressed worry about the weather affecting the Indian Premier League match taking place at Wankhede stadium in Marine Lines. ‘After having a not so good power play, #GT made a comeback and score above the required DLS score, in case if it rains heavily than it might impact Mumbai adversely,’ (sic) posted @SaiprasadThotla.
The IMD had sounded a yellow alert for the city and its neighbouring districts of Raigad, Thane and Palghar. “These are pre-monsoon showers, which are a common occurrence due to a western disturbance at the low level which brought moisture along. There is also a confluence of the ensuing westerly and easterly winds that lead to thunderstorms,” said Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD Mumbai.
The showers will also decrease the high temperatures, bringing relief from the scorching heat on Wednesday. The daytime temperature will gradually dip by 1°C to 2°C, ranging between 33°C and 32°C as per the IMD’s weekly forecast. A maximum temperature of 33 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 26 degrees Celsius has been forecast for Wednesday.
The nighttime temperature had increased since yesterday from 26.6 degrees to 28.9 degrees, “owing to the westerly winds which brought in moisture”, said Nair. “We will keep tabs on the weather and update the alerts accordingly,” she said. “So far, the alerts only hold for Wednesday, and the rains are expected to subside after that.”
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