Mumbai weather: IMD predicts rain-soaked Ganesh Chaturthi festival

Mumbai rains

Mumbai experienced a marked drop in temperature alongside persistent rainfall on Monday, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast a continuation of wet conditions through the week, coinciding with the commencement of the Ganesh Chaturthi festivities.

According to a report in The Indian Express, the city’s observatories at Santacruz and Colaba each recorded 19 mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period leading up to Monday morning.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) own automated weather system provided a further breakdown, indicating that the eastern suburbs received the highest precipitation at 24.05 mm, followed by the island city at 21.24 mm and the western suburbs at 16 mm.

The IMD has responded to the conditions by issuing a yellow alert for Mumbai, effective until August 27, which marks the first day of the Ganesh Chaturthi festival.

The alert extends to the neighbouring districts of Raigad, Thane and Palghar. A separate yellow alert is in place for the Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts until August 29.

An IMD official attributed the intensified rainfall pattern to a system developing over the Bay of Bengal. “The rain may witness an increase owing to a low pressure that has been developed in the Bay of Bengal.

Therefore, the entire Konkan belt will experience a sporadic spell of rain during this week,” the official stated, as cited by The Indian Express.

Accompanying the rainfall was a significant departure from typical seasonal temperatures. Data from the IMD, highlighted by The Indian Express, showed maximum daytime temperatures falling notably below normal levels.

The Santacruz observatory recorded a high of 27.5 degrees Celsius, which is 2.8 degrees below the seasonal average, while Colaba recorded 27.6 degrees Celsius, a drop of 2.4 degrees below normal.