The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that the monsoon in Maharashtra is likely to withdraw by October 5 this year. Heavy rainfall has caused severe waterlogging in several areas of the state, especially in Mumbai and Pune, following torrential downpours on Wednesday night.
Sunil Kamble, a scientist at the Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai, said that Mumbai has recorded nearly 2,900 millimeters of rainfall this monsoon season, which is about 600 millimeters above the normal average. "Typically, Mumbai receives around 2,300 millimeters of rain during the monsoon season, but this year the city has recorded 2,900 millimeters," Kamble said. He added that the intensity of the monsoon is expected to reduce over the next few days, with the withdrawal likely around October 5. However, he noted that sometimes this process extends, pushing the withdrawal date to as late as October 10.
Due to the heavy rains, the IMD issued a red alert for Mumbai, which was later downgraded to an orange alert as the situation slightly improved. "Yesterday afternoon, an orange alert was in place, but with the monsoon intensifying, we upgraded it to a red alert until 8:30 am this morning. Following the red alert, Mumbai registered over 200 millimeters of rain in some areas," Kamble said. An orange alert has been issued for today, with green and yellow alerts expected for several districts tomorrow.
It was also said that a red alert was issued for Palghar due to the potential for 150 to 200 millimeters of rain. Among the areas most affected by the rainfall on Wednesday were Colaba, Santacruz, and Chembur, with Colaba and Santacruz receiving about 170 millimeters and Chembur recording approximately 200 millimeters.
Severe waterlogging disrupted train, bus, and flight services in Mumbai and Pune, but operations were largely restored by Thursday morning as floodwaters receded in many areas. According to Central Railways, all local trains are now running normally, with some slight delays on the main line due to rescheduled movements.
The city administration declared a holiday for all schools and colleges in Mumbai due to the IMD forecast, while Pune's administration also announced a holiday for educational institutions because of the heavy rain prediction.
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