Mumbai: 

Data from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) reveals that several areas across South Mumbai were lashed by more than 200 mm of rain between midnight and 11 AM on Monday. Notably, the Colaba observatory recorded an extraordinary 295 mm of rainfall, the highest ever in the city’s history for the month. This surpassed the previous record of 279.4 mm set way back in May 1918.

Mumbai and several surrounding districts in Maharashtra came to a virtual standstill today as torrential rain lashed the region, prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to issue a red alert. The highest level of weather warning remains in effect until tomorrow morning, with the forecast indicating extremely heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds likely in isolated pockets of the state. The upgraded warning followed a rapid escalation in meteorological concern. What began as a yellow advisory was first elevated to orange before the IMD issued a red alert, as rainfall intensified during the early hours of the day.

Severe waterlogging across Mumbai

Other neighbourhoods saw similar deluges, Marine Lines and Chandanwadi logged 180 mm, Memonwada received 183 mm, and Worli recorded 171 mm. In contrast, the Santacruz observatory recorded more modest figures, with 33 mm by 8:30 AM and a monthly total of 197.8 mm thus far. The all-time May record for Santacruz still stands at 387.8 mm, set in 2000.

The downpour paralysed the city, inundating roads and severely hampering vehicular movement. Low-lying areas such as the Dadar TT flyover, King’s Circle, and Andheri’s Saki Naka reported extensive waterlogging, leaving commuters stranded and vehicles crawling through submerged streets. Additional congestion was noted at Hindmata Junction, Worli Naka, and Elphinstone Bridge, where traffic bottlenecks worsened as the rain persisted.

Why is it raining heavily in Mumbai?

The exceptional rainfall has been linked to the unusually early onset of the Southwest Monsoon, which arrived in Maharashtra on Sunday, May 25 nearly ten days ahead of its typical schedule. This early arrival marks the earliest monsoon onset in Mumbai since 1990, when it reached the city on May 20.

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