The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued orange alert for Mumbai, Palghar, Thane and Raigad, indicating heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places for four days beginning Sunday. The IMD added that while isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is likely over Maharashtra between July 9 and 13, extremely heavy rainfall is also likely over ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra on July 12 and 13.For Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, a red alert was issued with a forecast of extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places for Sunday and an orange alert till Wednesday. The met department classifies rainfall above 204.5 mm in 24 hours as extremely heavy rain.An orange alert with a forecast of heavy to very heavy rain at isolated places was issued for Pune, Kolhapur and Satara next week. An orange alert signifies that local and disaster management authorities should be on alert.
For Saturday, the IMD had forecast heavy rainfall at isolated places in Mumbai and adjoining areas. However, in nine hours – from 8.30 am on Saturday – Mumbai suburbs recorded light rainfall at 6.1 mm. IMD’s Colaba observatory recorded 0.2 mm of rainfall. After meager rain activity in Mumbai on Friday morning, rainfall picked up by night. In 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Saturday, IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 28.4 of rain, which falls in the moderate rain category.With the resumption of rainfall activity, the city also recorded a drop in temperatures. On Saturday, the minimum temperature was a degree below normal at 24.5 degrees Celsius and the day temperature was two degrees below normal at 28.8 degrees Celsius. Officials and experts said rains were likely to arrive soon under the influence of a low pressure area forming in the Bay of Bengal and an upper air cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea. Over the next four to five days, Mumbai may receive as much as 400mm of rain and has therefore been placed under orange category by the IMD, warning of heavy to very heavy showers. The city has so far seen 1106mm of rain since June 1, which is about 37% in excess of the seasonal normal of 801mm. However, since July 1, the city has recorded largely deficient rains at a departure of more than -80%.