Mumbai: A torrential downpour accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning ravaged the suburban areas of Mumbai and its neighboring districts during the intervening night of Monday and Tuesday. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a Orange alert for Mumbai for today, cautioning of heavy to extremely heavy precipitation and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

For Wednesday, along with Mumbai, an orange alert has been issued for Palghar, Thane, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Nashik, Ahmednagar, and Washim, anticipating heavy to extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and dust winds. Meanwhile, Raigad and Pune are on red alert on Wednesday, predicting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

The IMD has also issued a red alert for Palghar on September 26, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations.

The city experienced a prolonged dry spell before the rains made a comeback on Monday morning, with the intensity escalating during the late hours. Similar rain pattern was observed on Tuesday.

On Tuesday evening, after 5:30 PM, heavy rain swept across Mumbai’s city district, eastern and western suburbs, as well as Thane and Navi Mumbai. The downpour, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, began in the evening and persisted throughout the night.

The water storage in the seven lakes catering to Mumbai’s water needs surged to 98.28 per cent or 14.22 lakh million litres of the total capacity on Tuesday morning. The official date of monsoon withdrawal in Mumbai is October 10.

IMD Chief Sunil Kamble stated, “There was thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning owing to the prevailing weather conditions, which are highly conducive for thunder activity.” He added that thunderstorm activity is typically restricted to specific areas only and is also a characteristic of the retreating monsoon.

The southwest monsoon has already commenced its withdrawal, and on Tuesday, the IMD announced its withdrawal from some more parts of Rajasthan and Gujarat, as well as some parts of Punjab and Haryana. The reason for the wet spell for the week is also a low-pressure system that has formed over West central Bay of Bengal and adjoining Northwest Bay off north Andhra – south Odisha coasts.

Kamble further elaborated, “This low-pressure system is expected to move upwards, and hence for September 26, the weather bureau has issued a red alert for Palghar, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall and thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds at isolated locations being highly likely.”

On Tuesday, September 24, from 8:30 AM to 5:30 PM, Mumbai recorded light rainfall, with Colaba receiving just 0.4 mm and Santacruz registering 1.9 mm. While the city experienced minimal rainfall, other regions saw higher amounts, including Pune with 19.2 mm, Nashik with 10.2 mm, and Mahabaleshwar with 7.6 mm. Kolhapur and Parbhani both recorded 8.3 mm, Baramati and Matheran saw 6 mm, while Harnai and Solapur registered lower rainfall at 0.8 mm and 1.9 mm, respectively.