Weather Updates: IMD’s Red Alert For Maharashtra, Goa, Gujarat

The Indian Meteorological Department on Thursday issued a red alert for extremely heavy rainfall in Maharashtra and Gujarat, following the westward movement of a cyclonic circulation. Additionally, red alerts have also been issued for Goa.

“There will be extremely heavy rainfall in Maharastra, and Gujarat today as well as the cyclonic circulation has moved westward. We have given a red alert for Konkan Goa, Gujarat region, and Maharashtra,” Naresh Kumar, Senior Scientist at the IMD told the news agency PTI.

Meanwhile, Sunil Kamble, the director of India Meteorological Department (Mumbai), said that the monsoon in Maharashtra is expected to withdraw by October 5 this year.

“In 3-4 months’ monsoon, Mumbai should record 2300 mm rain, but, as of now, it has recorded 2900 mm rains, almost 600 mm above normal,” Kamble told news agency ANI.

“In the next 5-6 monsoon will reduce and there are chances that monsoon will withdraw by October 5 but sometimes the chances increase, so the withdrawal date extends to October 10,” he added.

Heavy Rain Hits Uttarakhand, West Bengal

Heavy rain lashed several parts of Uttarakhand early on Thursday, raising water levels in various rivers, including the Dharma Ganga, which damaged reconstruction efforts along its banks. The Dharma Ganga flows through the Budhakedar area of Tehri Garhwal district, which had already suffered extensive infrastructure damage from a flash flood in July.

Meanwhile, heavy rain partially disrupted normal life in several areas of West Bengal, with the Met Office forecasting continued heavy downpours in the sub-Himalayan districts until Friday. The forecast indicates fairly widespread rain across many parts in the state over the next three days, followed by scattered to fairly widespread rain in the subsequent four days.

The Met Office also warned of very heavy rain, with extremely heavy downpours expected at one or two locations in the sub-Himalayan districts of Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Alipurduar, Jalpaiguri, and Cooch Behar until Friday morning. Additionally, all districts in South Bengal, including Kolkata, are also likely to experience heavy rain until Friday morning.

Mumbai Traffic Back On Track After Heavy Rains

Several areas in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai, experienced waterlogging after heavy rains inundated low-lying regions, halted local trains, and forced the diversion of at least 14 incoming flights.

Following the downpour on Wednesday, some roads, including those in the Sonapur area of Bhandup, virtually turned into rivers of fast-moving water as several areas received more than 100 mm of rain in five hours of evening.

On Wednesday, the IMD had issued a red alert for Mumbai and its neighboring districts of Thane, Palghar, and Raigad for Thursday morning.

However, by Thursday, vehicular and rail traffic in Mumbai resumed. While the rains subsided in most parts of the city, overcast skies remained.

(With inputs from agencies)