The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted heavy to very heavy rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds, across Mumbai and its adjoining districts on Friday.
The weather bureau has placed Mumbai, Thane, Sindhudurg, Ratnagiri and Raigad under an orange alert, while a yellow alert has been issued for Palghar, Dhule, Jalgaon and Nashik.
As per the latest IMD forecast, Mumbai, Thane and Palghar are likely to witness lightning along with gusty winds reaching 30–40 kmph, at isolated locations.
Meanwhile, the IMD has issued an orange alert for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts. According to its forecast, Raigad and Ratnagiri are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated locations, while Sindhudurg is expected to receive heavy showers. Authorities have urged residents to exercise caution, warning of possible waterlogging, traffic snarls, and landslides in hilly areas due to the intense downpour.
For the ghat regions of Pune, Kolhapur, Satara and Jalna, the weather bureau has issued an orange alert.
The weather office has also advised fishermen along the Konkan coast to avoid venturing into the sea due to rough conditions.
Meanwhile, the IMD has warned of heavy to very heavy rainfall across several parts of the country, including Goa, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Gujarat Region, Kerala and Coastal Karnataka on Saturday. Extremely heavy showers are expected over parts of Gujarat on Friday, the department said.
The IMD further stated that an isolated heavy rainfall spell is likely to continue over Northwest India for the next five days. Himachal Pradesh is expected to see very heavy rainfall on Friday and Saturday, while Uttarakhand may witness similar conditions until September 2.
In the past 24 hours, extremely heavy rainfall, above 21 cm, was recorded at isolated places in Coastal Karnataka and Telangana, while Marathwada also received heavy to very heavy showers. Very heavy rainfall ranging between 12–20 cm was reported in parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu, East Rajasthan, Gujarat Region, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, East Uttar Pradesh, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and West Madhya Pradesh. Punjab, Haryana, Konkan, Goa, Vidarbha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya, while Lakshadweep saw heavy rainfall between 7–11 cm.
According to IMD, the western end of the monsoon trough now runs near its normal position, while the eastern end lies south of normal. An upper air cyclonic circulation persists over Vidarbha, and a trough extends from South Chhattisgarh to North Kerala. Additionally, a Western Disturbance as a cyclonic circulation is present over north Pakistan and adjoining Punjab.
The IMD has advised state authorities to remain alert for possible flooding, waterlogging and landslides in vulnerable regions.
