Mumbai was in for a surprise on May 6 when a sudden spell of thunderstorms and rain lashed the city. While the downpour brought much-needed relief from the scorching weather, it also affected suburban train operations, air travel, and caused the traffic to snarl in several areas.
Heavy Rain & Thunderstorm Lash Mumbai, IMD Issues Alert
Gusty winds, dust storms, and heavy rains swept through Mumbai on Tuesday evening. The almost cyclone-like conditions brought the temperature significantly down in the city, much to the relief of the residents. However, the dust storm-like condition before the showers triggered panic and many people took to social media to post about it.
Heavy rain poured in the western suburbs of Mumbai, including areas like Borivali, Kandivali, Malad, Andheri and Bandra. According to India TV, light to moderate rainfall was recorded in the eastern suburbs and other parts of the city. Thunder activity and lightning were witnessed in Dahisar, Andheri, Powai, and Lalbaug areas.
Neighbouring districts, Thane and Raigad, also reported thunderstorms and rain. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘nowcast’ warning at 9.35 PM on Tuesday and forecasted thunderstorms with lightning and moderate rain, over isolated areas in Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Nashik.
According to the latest update, IMD has issued a yellow alert in Mumbai until Thursday morning. They have forecasted rain and thunderstorms over at least the next two days, with a nowcast warning of light rain in isolated pockets of the Mumbai district over the next 3 to 4 days.
As per the data from IMD’s Santacruz observatory and Colaba coastal station, Mumbai saw a maximum temperature of 34 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature also touched 29°C. This is more than two degrees above the normal. After the late evening rain, the temperature took a significant dip.
On Wednesday, the city woke up to pleasant weather with light showers, overcast skies, and light winds.
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Weather Change Disrupt Train & Air Travel In The City
As you can imagine, suburban train services and traffic took a hit after the sudden rain and thunderstorms in Mumbai on Tuesday. Suburban train services were affected with delays of 15 to 20 minutes on Western and Central Railway lines. Several reports also suggested sparking on overhead electric wires in multiple areas.
Road traffic was also severely affected because of the rain in Mumbai. Tree collapses and heavy rain showers in many areas caused the traffic to snarl.
Air travel also took a hit because of the sudden rain showers. Air India and IndiGo took to social media platform X to inform their passengers about flight delays at the Mumbai airport due to rain and thunderstorms.
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What’s the weather like in your city? Let us know in the comments.
Cover Image Courtesy: X/@dilipjain077 & X/@AnantShinde1129