07 August,2024 09:18 AM IST | Mumbai | mid-day online correspondent
Pic/Satej Shinde
The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in its latest Mumbai weather update, predicted moderate to heavy rainfall on Wednesday.
The weather department, in its latest Mumbai weather update, has predicted "light to moderate spells of rain in the city and its suburbs" in the next 24 hours.
The maximum temperature in the city is likely to settle at 32 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature will be recorded at 27 degrees Celsius.
A high tide of about 4.29 metres is expected to hit Mumbai at 1.54 pm today, stated Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC). The civic body also said that a low tide of about 1.31 metres is expected at 7.55 pm today.
Mumbai weather update: Traffic updates
Earlier this morning, slow traffic was reported at Jijamata Nagar Bridge Eastern Freeway due to a car accident. Otherwise, traffic is running smoothly. Updates from both Central Railway and Western Railway indicate that trains on all corridors are operating without issues.
Mumbai weather update: Should utilise MeT's improved heavy rainfall forecasts to save lives, property, says IMD chief
India Meteorological Department chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Tuesday that the agency's heavy rainfall forecasts have improved by 30 to 40 percent over the past five years and should be utilised to minimise loss of lives and property during extreme precipitation events.
His remarks came amid claims by the Kerala government about the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) failure to predict extreme rainfall, which triggered a series of landslides in the Wayanad district on July 30, leading to the death of 226 people.
"There has been a 30 to 40 per cent improvement in India Meteorological Department's heavy rainfall prediction accuracy over the last five years, and it could further improve by 10 to 15 per cent in the next five to seven years with the augmentation of the observation network and numerical modelling systems," Mohapatra said in a video message played at the launch of a report by IPE Global and Esri India here.
At present, the weather agency predicts rainfall at the meteorological subdivision and district levels with an accuracy of 80 to 90 per cent 24 hours ahead and 60 per cent with a lead time of five days, he said.
"While the IMD is improving its forecast accuracy, its predictions should be utilised to minimise the loss of lives and property," Mohapatra said.
Scientists attributed the Wayanad landslides to a deadly mix of forest cover loss, mining in the ecologically fragile terrain and a prolonged spell of rain followed by an extreme precipitation event.
