Mumbai has received heavy rainfall for two successive days, on the 23rd and 24th of September. The wet spell has overcome the jinx of dry spells for the last one week. Actually, the city had not witnessed typical Mumbai rains in the month of September 2024. Last two days, the showers were sharp and heavy in some pockets of the town and suburbs. More is in the offing, with possible deluge over large areas, on the 26th of September.
With the last two days of downpours, accumulating nearly 15cm of rainfall, the airport observatory has nearly reached its monthly normal. Santacruz has recorded 339mm of rainfall in September, against its monthly normal of 341.4mm. The rainfall is continuing and the intensity and spread will increase, through the day and become stronger in the evening and night.
There are multiple factors joining hands for this hazardous weather activity. A low-pressure area formed over the northwest and west-central Bay of Bengal. The weather system has moved inland and is likely to track westward, across South Odisha, South Chhattisgarh and central Maharashtra, in the next 36-48 hours. The weather activity, for meteorological reasons, is placed ahead of the centre of the system. Also, there is an east-west shear line, with an extended axis from Coastal Odisha on the east to Konkan Coast on the west. Thirdly, a convergence zone between a westerly stream from the Arabian Sea and curving winds from Madhya Pradesh and Madhya Maharashtra is descending in close proximity of the Konkan & Goa coastline. Goa has already been lashed with heavy rains in the past 24 hours and the extreme weather belt will shift northward, along the coast, from Ratnagiri-Sindhudurg to Mumbai-Dahanu, over the next three days. Even, South Coastal Gujarat and the peripherals of Saurashtra, along the Arabian Sea coast will be at risk of heavy to very heavy rainfall on the 26th and 27th September 2024.
The city of Mumbai and its suburbs will have to watch out for hazardous weather conditions building up through the night and becoming stronger and more severe tomorrow. Tomorrow high tide at about 7 o'clock, both, in the morning and evening will compound the situation further. The heavy weather may disrupt the rail, road and air connectivity, simultaneously. Flooding and inundation of coastal and low-lying areas may become a challenge and difficult to deal with. The contingency plans need to be geared up to meet any eventuality.
Image Courtesy: India Someday