The monsoon has revived in Maharashtra, bringing widespread heavy rainfall across several regions, including Mumbai. After a brief lull, intense showers returned from Friday onward, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting continued rain activity until at least June 18.
Mumbai witnessed renewed showers over the weekend, with the Santacruz observatory recording 19 mm and the Colaba station registering 34 mm of rainfall between Saturday and Sunday morning. A yellow alert has been issued for the city, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall expected to persist until Tuesday morning.
The IMD has also raised a red alert for the Raigad and Ratnagiri districts due to the likelihood of extremely heavy rainfall on Monday. An orange alert remains in place for these regions until Thursday.
Meteorologists have attributed the rainfall revival to the presence of upper air cyclonic circulations over the central Bay of Bengal and south-central Maharashtra. Additionally, monsoon troughs, which are elongated low-pressure zones stretching from Pakistan to the Bay of Bengal, are enhancing the moisture inflow and rainfall intensity. The combination of these systems is sustaining the heavy downpours across the region.
The Konkan coast, including Mumbai, is expected to continue receiving heavy to very heavy showers until June 16. Following this period, the IMD predicts a reduction in rain intensity, with Mumbai likely to experience moderate rainfall and no fresh alerts beyond Tuesday morning.
This year, Mumbai recorded an unusually early monsoon onset on May 26, the earliest in 75 years, compared to the usual June 11 arrival. Typically, the city receives around 537 mm of rainfall in June. In a rare occurrence, Mumbai had already logged over 500 mm of rainfall in May exceeding normal levels by more than 3,000 per cent.
The overall monsoon period from June to September brings approximately 2,319 mm of rainfall to Mumbai, with July historically being the wettest month.
Further rainfall surges are being closely monitored, with independent forecasts indicating the potential for another wet spell in the coming weekend.