Mumbai Rains: IMD issues Orange Alert for next two days

People brave the rain as they cross a road at Thakur Village, Kandivli, on Wednesday. Pic/Satej Shinde

Even as Mumbai and practically all of the Konkan coast continue to receive heavy rainfall, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued an Orange Alert for July 22 and 23 in the city, with a high possibility of heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places.

The IMD had initially issued an Orange Alert for Wednesday (July 21) but upgraded it to a Red Alert earlier in the day due to the development of favourable synoptic situations. Currently, no weather warning has been issued for July 24.

A woman walks by a road at Kemps Corner as it rains heavily on Wednesday. Pic/Bipin Kokate

Speaking to mid-day, Dr Jayant Sarkar, head of the Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai, said, "If we see the prevailing weather conditions over Mumbai, there are two favourable synoptic situations: one is an offshore trough at a mid-sea level which extends from the South Gujarat coast up to the Karnataka coast and the other is a shear zone present in the mid-tropospheric level at 18 degrees north.

These favourable synoptic situations will cause widespread rainfall over the Konkan coast and Goa over the next five days. Central Maharashtra is likely to receive widespread to fairly widespread rainfall over the next three days. Rain activity will reduce in this region after that. Scattered places in the city will receive heavy to very heavy rainfall on Thursday."

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The IMD has also issued a warning for all ports for the next two days and one for fishermen over the next five days.

"On July 21 and 22, Konkan and Goa will receive heavy to very rainfall with extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places," said Sarkar. "On these days, Central Maharashtra will receive extremely heavy rainfall as well, and Marathwada will witness heavy rain at isolated places."

When asked whether the Orange Alert for the next two days could be upgraded to a Red one just as it was done on Wednesday, an IMD official said, "The chances of it being upgraded to a Red Alert are low. Weather patterns keep changing depending on whether there are favourable synoptic situations."

Colaba received 2.4 mm of rainfall on Wednesday between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, whereas Santacruz received 2.6 mm of rainfall during the same period.