New Delhi: Mumbai is gripped in chaos, with pre-monsoon heavy rains, accompanied by intense winds, thunderstorms and lightning throwing normal life out of gear. Large parts of the city are waterlogged and traffic movement has been hit badly.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted intensified rainfall, along with thunderstorms and gusty winds, across parts of Maharashtra until May 24. This weather pattern is being caused due to a cyclonic circulation likely to form over the east-central Arabian Sea, off the Karnataka coast.
The weather department has issued a yellow alert for the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) for the next four days, cautioning of light to moderate rainfall.
In its forecast for Mumbai, the IMD said: “Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, light to moderate rainfall and gusty winds (40–50 kmph) are likely at isolated places.”
Unseasonal rainfall hit the Mumbai and its suburbs on Tuesday evening. It resulting in massive flooding and brought traffic to a standstill in many parts in Mumbai. The gusty winds uprooted a tree near Jalvayu Complex, causing chaos in the area. Commuters were forced to use alternative routes. Due to the rains, the Andheri subway was fully flooded. Sources said that a team from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation pumped out the water using drainage machines.
Alert sounded in many Maharashtra districts
According to IMD, rainfall activity in Maharashtra is likely to increase between May 21 and 24 under the influence of the cyclonic system. The weather disturbance is expected to hit several regions of Maharashtra, including South Konkan, South-Central Maharashtra, and Mumbai.
A red alert has been issued for Sindhudurg district until May 24. An orange alert is in place for Ratnagiri, Ahilyanagar, Pune, Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, Solapur, Latur, and Dharashiv.
A yellow alert, indicating heavy rainfall ranging from 6 cm to 11 cm, has been issued for several areas, including Mumbai, Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Dhule, Nandurbar, Jalgaon, Nashik, Satara, Sangli, Jalna, Amravati, and Bhandara.
