Mumbai weather: Orange alert issued as thunderstorms and rain lash financial capital, triggering waterlogging

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued an orange alert for Mumbai and Palghar, forecasting thunderstorms with lightning, intense to very intense rainfall, and strong winds of 40-60 kmph.

The southwest monsoon arrived in Mumbai on Tuesday, 13 days later than its usual onset date, bringing much-needed relief from the city's prolonged spell of sweltering heat.

"Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and Intense to very Intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 40-60 kmph very likely to occur at isolated places. Districts: Mumbai, Palghar," said BMC in a post on X.


The southwest monsoon finally hit Mumbai on Tuesday, 13 days after its normal onset date, bringing much- needed relief from the sweltering heat.

Date	Min Temp (°C)	Max Temp (°C)	Weather Forecast	Warning
24 Jun	23.0	27.0	Partly cloudy sky with possibility of moderate rain or thunderstorm	Heavy Rainfall
25 Jun	24.0	28.0	Rain or thundershowers likely towards afternoon or evening	Thunderstorm accompanied by lightning & gusty winds (30–40 kmph)
26 Jun	25.0	29.0	Rain or thundershowers likely towards afternoon or evening	No warning
27 Jun	24.0	30.0	Rain or thundershowers likely towards afternoon or evening	No warning
28 Jun	24.0	30.0	Rain or thundershowers likely towards afternoon or evening	No warning
29 Jun	23.0	29.0	Rain or thundershowers likely towards afternoon or evening	No warning

Waterlogging due to heavy rains

Heavy rainfall continued to lash several parts of Mumbai on Tuesday night, causing severe waterlogging in low-lying areas and forcing the temporary closure of an underpass in Andheri, civic officials said.

According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the Andheri subway was shut for vehicular movement after it was inundated due to incessant rain-induced flooding.

As per BMC rainfall data recorded between 8:00 am and 11:00 pm on June 23, the city received an average of 56 mm of rainfall, while the eastern suburbs recorded 23 mm and the western suburbs 33 mm.

During the one-hour period between 10:00 pm and 11:00 pm, several locations in the western suburbs recorded heavy showers, including Charkop Sector 1 Municipal School in Kandivali (32 mm), MHB Municipal School in Malad (28 mm), Gajdharbandh Storm Water Pumping Station (26 mm), Banana Leaf and Juhu Dispensary (22 mm), and Nariyalwadi School in Santacruz (21 mm).

The BMC confirmed that all subways except the flooded Andheri underpass remained operational, while suburban railway services continued to run normally.

Speaking on the situation, a BMC official, Rhitik, said that civic authorities were still struggling to find a temporary solution to the persistent waterlogging at the site.

"We have not been able to find a temporary solution for this severe waterlogging. Our officers keep standing here to ensure vehicles don't pass through. But some rickshaw drivers still try to get their vehicles across. A rickshaw got stuck here in the centre of the subway. His life was in danger. Two of our officers helped bring him out," he told ANI on Tuesday.

Another BMC official, Robert, said teams were working continuously to prevent vehicles from entering the flooded underpass.

"We are doing our best to ensure that no vehicles get inside the underpass. We are trying to protect as many people as possible," he told ANI.

Meanwhile, visuals from several parts of the city showed heavy rainfall continuing to batter Mumbai. Waterlogging was reported at a subway in Everard Nagar, leading authorities to shut it for public movement.

Scenes from the Eastern Express Highway showed vehicles moving cautiously amid poor visibility and accumulated water on the roads. In Sion, some youngsters were seen enjoying the rain and navigating waterlogged streets despite the difficult weather conditions.

"The southwest monsoon has further advanced into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, remaining parts of Telangana and Odisha, some more parts of Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar," said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) release.

The normal onset date of the monsoon in Mumbai is June 10. Notably, in 2023 the monsoon had arrived even later, on June 25, according to IMD data.

The longest delay was in 1974 and 1958 when the onset of monsoon was recorded on June 28, according to the IMD.

All major subways in the city remained open, and traffic movement was normal. Railway services on the suburban network operated normally, while BEST bus services also functioned without disruption, said a statement from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC).

However, there was traffic congestion on major roads.

Between 8 am to 7 pm, the highest rainfall of 78.96 mm was recorded at Nair Hospital in central Mumbai, followed by N M Joshi Marg-Lower Parel (78.4 mm) and Parel TT (72.63 mm), as per the BMC.

In the western suburbs, Malad Bus Depot recorded 61.8 mm rainfall, while Maharashtranagar in the eastern suburb of Mankhurd recorded 51.2 mm rainfall, the civic body said.