Mumbai rains: IMD issues red alert for Raigad, Palghar; orange alert for Pune

For Raigad and Palghar districts, the IMD has issued a 'red' alert, indicating the possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in several areas on Wednesday. Thane, Ratnagiri, and Pune have been issued an 'orange' alert by the weather department.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an 'orange' alert for specific areas of Mumbai and its suburbs, indicating moderate to heavy rainfall, with the possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall in some regions on Wednesday (July 19). According to the weather department, moderate rainfall is expected in parts of Sindhudurg, Nandurbar, Dhule, Jalgaon, Sambhajinagar, Ahmednagar, Pune, Nasik, Solapur, and Beed districts over the next 3-4 hours.

Furthermore, the IMD has predicted moderate to intense rainfall in Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Palghar districts over the next 3-4 hours.

For Raigad and Palghar districts, the IMD has issued a 'red' alert, indicating the possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rainfall in several areas on Wednesday. Thane, Ratnagiri, and Pune have been issued an 'orange' alert by the weather department.

Raigad District Collector, Yogesh Mhase, took precautionary measures in response to heavy rainfall by declaring a holiday on Wednesday and ordering the closure of schools and colleges in the district.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), an 'orange' alert is issued when the rainfall recorded within a day falls between 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm, while a 'red' alert indicates the likelihood of rainfall exceeding 204.5 mm within a day.

A 'yellow' alert was issued for several districts in Maharashtra, including Aurangabad, Kolhapur, Nasik, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Sindhudurg, and Dhule.

Over the past 24 hours until 8:00 am on Wednesday, Mumbai, the eastern suburbs, and the western suburbs received rainfall of 47.42mm, 50.04mm, and 50.99mm, respectively.

A scientist from the IMD mentioned that a low-pressure area is forming in the Bay of Bengal, which will reinforce the offshore monsoon trough near Maharashtra. This system is expected to move closer to the shore or inland around July 18, leading to a monsoon revival in Mumbai and the adjoining areas of the Konkan region.

Heavy rainfall on Tuesday led to disruptions in the suburban services of the Central Railway, with an express train engine also experiencing failure. As a result, commuters faced delays of around 20-25 minutes on local trains in the city.

Looking ahead, the weather forecast for Mumbai indicates that the maximum temperature over the next week will range between 28-29°C, while the minimum temperature will hover around 24°C. The skies are expected to remain cloudy and overcast, with limited to no sunlight.