Mumbai's relentless rain spell shows no signs of slowing down, and the India Meteorological Department, or IMD, has now issued a red alert for the city for Saturday. The weather office has warned of heavy to very heavy rain across the city and its suburbs, with isolated pockets likely to see extremely heavy rainfall. Strong winds of up to 60 kilometres per hour are also expected in some areas. Officials said several parts of Mumbai recorded more than 100 millimetres of rain in the last 24 hours, though public transport services continued to run normally through the downpour.
Commuters Hit By Delayed Local Trains
Heavy rain through the day left local train services running behind schedule, disrupting the daily commute for thousands of passengers. IMD's latest district wise forecast says Mumbai could see heavy to very heavy rain at several places over the weekend, with extremely heavy rain at isolated spots, prompting the red alert. Notably, even though this year's monsoon arrived late, the financial capital has been witnessing continuous heavy rainfall since the start of this week.
Bandra Tops The Charts In The Western Suburbs
According to figures from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation, or BMC, rainfall totals varied sharply across different parts of the city. In the western suburbs, Bandra's H West ward recorded the highest rainfall at 150.6 millimetres. This was followed by Supari Tank in Bandra with 146 millimetres and Pali Chimbai in Bandra with 143.2 millimetres.
How South Mumbai And The Eastern Suburbs Fared
In South Mumbai, or the island city, Parel led the numbers with 141.8 millimetres of rain. Matunga-Dadar recorded 135.2 millimetres, Fort saw 120.8 millimetres, Wadala got 118.3 millimetres and Lower Parel recorded 118 millimetres. In the eastern suburbs, Vikhroli recorded the highest rainfall at 143 millimetres, followed by Ghatkopar with 136.4 millimetres, Mankhurd with 134.2 millimetres, Chembur with 127.6 millimetres and the Maharashtra Nagar area of Mankhurd with 124 millimetres.
Average Rainfall And High Tide Timings
Looking at the average rainfall over the last 24 hours, the island city recorded 99 millimetres, the eastern suburbs recorded 98 millimetres and the western suburbs recorded 94 millimetres. Tide timings for the city also carry weight given the heavy rain. A high tide of 4.26 metres is expected at 2:50 pm on Saturday, followed by a 3.60 metre high tide at 2:52 am on Sunday. A low tide of 1.66 metres is expected at 8:56 pm on Saturday, and a 1.28 metre low tide is due at 8:22 am on Sunday.
Red Alert Also Covers Thane, Palghar And Raigad
In an alert issued on Friday, the IMD said Mumbai could see heavy to very heavy rain at several places on Saturday and Sunday, with extremely heavy rain at isolated spots, calling the likelihood very high. The red alert is not restricted to Mumbai alone. Thane, Palghar and Raigad districts have also been placed under a red alert. Raigad's alert is in effect on Friday and Saturday, while Thane and Palghar remain under alert on Saturday and Sunday.
