Heavy showers have swept back into Mumbai, and the city's suburbs have already piled up more than 2,000 mm of rain since the monsoon set in. Against that backdrop, the India Meteorological Department has kept its Yellow Alert in place for the city on Wednesday, August 12. While some pockets will see only moderate rain, isolated areas could be lashed by heavy spells. That leaves parents and students with one pressing question: will schools and colleges be open or shut on Wednesday?
How much fell in the last 24 hours
According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's data, the Santacruz observatory, which stands in for the western suburbs, recorded a total of 43.8 mm of rain between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm on August 11. The Colaba observatory, which represents south Mumbai or the island city, logged 24.4 mm during the same window. Taken together, the southern island regions saw about 30.12 mm of rain, while the eastern and western suburbs recorded 44.45 mm and 53.82 mm respectively.
Where the season stands against the average
After this intense run of showers, the Santacruz station has banked 2,020 mm of rain since the monsoon began, from June 1 to August 11, 2026. Measured against the department's 20-year average, Santacruz alone has already accounted for 85% of the total average monsoon rainfall of 2,390.5 mm recorded over the past two decades, which the city usually gets between June and September. The Colaba station, meanwhile, has clocked at least 1,675.8 mm, which works out to 80% of its total average of 2,102 mm.
Reservoirs filling up
Since the start of the 2026 monsoon, the civic body's report shows that the upper Vaitarna lake has drawn 3,252 mm of rain, while the Modak Sagar and Tansa lakes have received 2,739 mm and 2,543 mm respectively. These reservoirs supply drinking water to Mumbai, so the rising levels are welcome news for the city's supply.
The August 12 alert and the day's weather
The weather office has pinned a Yellow Alert on August 12 that runs from 10:47 am to 1:00 pm. For the day, it has forecast a generally cloudy sky with moderate rain across the city and suburbs, along with the chance of occasional sharp spells during the morning hours. The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to hover around 30 degrees Celsius and 25 degrees Celsius.
Looking at the wider picture, heavy downpours are expected to continue across parts of Maharashtra until August 17. The areas flagged under the alert include Mumbai, Thane, Kalyan-Dombivli, Ratnagiri and Malvan.
Will schools and colleges shut on Wednesday?
A Yellow Alert is not entirely alarming, but it can throw the daily commute out of rhythm. School authorities, whether under the civic body or in other regions, typically call a holiday only when there is a Red Alert or a forecast of extremely heavy rain that could trigger severe waterlogging or damage to infrastructure. For that reason, there are as of now no instructions from the authorities to keep schools and colleges closed on Wednesday, August 12, since the rain is expected to stay moderate.
