Mumbai's iconic skyline 'vanishes' amid rain: Entrepreneur's viral video captures monsoon fury
Many residents took to social media to share videos of submerged vehicles and flooded streets. Among them, a Mumbai-based entrepreneur and photographer captured the intensity of the downpour in a video where the city's iconic high-rises seemed to vanish behind sheets of rain and powerful winds.
'It's raining so heavily, with such fast winds, that the skyscrapers across are not visible,' the caption read. Filmed from Viral Dharod's balcony, the clip showed torrential rain engulfing the skyline in a dense, cloudy haze.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the city while over six people have died due to the torrential rains and hundreds others have been displaced across several districts of Maharashtra.
Maharashtra chief minister Devendra Fadnavis reviewed the flood situation with the disaster management department and said the next 48 hours will be crucial for Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts, which remain on high alert, news agency PTI reported.
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The Hindu
an hour ago
- The Hindu
Mumbai rains: Extreme rainfall intensified by climate change and multiple weather systems, warn scientists, climate experts
Incessant rains have battered Mumbai and its suburbs for four consecutive days, disrupting normal life across the city. Experts have warned that climate change is intensifying extreme rainfall events and stressed the urgent need for early warning systems and adaptation strategies. Mumbai rains LIVE: IMD issues orange alert; airlines announce travel advisory The India Meteorology Department (IMD) has predicted that heavy rains will continue for the next 24 hours, after which the intensity is expected to decline, though moderate showers will persist. Rainfall crosses monthly average After a dry July, extremely heavy rains returned to Mumbai around August 16. By the afternoon of August 19, the city had recorded more than 800 mm of rainfall, surpassing its monthly average of 560.8 mm. Multiple weather systems behind torrential rains Meteorologists have attributed the intense downpour to the alignment of multiple weather systems. 'A low-pressure area over Vidarbha, a cyclonic circulation over the Northeast Arabian Sea, a depression over the Bay of Bengal, and an active offshore Monsoon trough have resulted in vigorous Monsoon conditions over coastal Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai,' said Mahesh Palawat, vice-president of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather. He added that when such systems align simultaneously, they 'tend to complement each other, intensifying weather activity.' Climate change amplifying rainfall patterns Climate Scientist Dr. Raghu Murtugudde, Emeritus Professor at the University of Maryland and retired IIT Bombay professor, explained that while heavy three-digit rainfall is not new to Mumbai, climate change is acting like a 'steroid.' 'The northward swing of monsoon winds is pulling massive moisture from the warm Arabian Sea into the northern Western Ghats,' he said. 'This shift is influenced by global warming, especially warming over the Middle East, combined with natural variability in monsoon winds.' A recent study, Middle East Warming in Spring Enhances Summer Rainfall Over Pakistan, shows that the Middle East is warming nearly twice as fast as other inhabited regions, increasing atmospheric instability and intensifying rainfall across northwest India and Pakistan. The study attributes 46% of the increased rainfall in the region between 1979 and 2022 to this rapid warming. Mumbai's wettest August in years Dr. Akshay Deoras, Research Scientist at the National Centre for Atmospheric Science, University of Reading, the U.K., said Mumbai's current downpour follows 'the city's driest July since 2015.' 'This torrential rain is caused by strong monsoon winds, intensified by two low-pressure systems — one over east India and another over the Gulf of Khambat,' he said. 'While the precise role of climate change in this event needs further study, shorter, more intense rainfall matches what we expect in a warming world.' Rain wreaks havoc in Maharashtra, brings Mumbai to a standstill Experts stress citizen-centric early warning systems According to Dr. Subimal Ghosh, Institute Chair Professor at IIT Bombay, the only way forward is improving early warning systems. 'The exponential warming of the Arabian Sea has increased moisture influx along the West Coast,' he said. 'We need a robust network of early warning and nowcast systems for urban flooding, and they must be citizen-centric so that people can make informed decisions.' He highlighted IIT Bombay's Mumbai Flood Monitoring System, which provides real-time data to stakeholders. Need for better coordination and planning K.G. Ramesh, former Director General of the IMD, stressed the need for better inter-agency coordination. 'Forecasting has improved, but timely dissemination is the key,' he said. 'We must identify high-risk zones, prepare evacuation plans, and set up defined escape routes. With extreme weather becoming frequent, preparedness is critical.' Dr. Vishwas Chitale, Fellow at the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW), emphasised mapping flood-prone areas and upgrading city infrastructure. 'Solutions must include better drainage, increased green cover, and an Intensity-Duration-Frequency (IDF) mechanism that predicts which parts of the city will get the heaviest rainfall,' he said. 'This will help authorities plan water discharge and manage urban flooding.' Planning for a resilient future CEEW has already prepared a Thane City Action Plan for Flood Risk Management 2024, based on 52 years of rainfall data. The plan develops ward-wise urban flood risk indices, designs intensity-duration-frequency curves, and identifies vulnerable hotspots. Abinash Mohanty, Global Sector Head for Climate Change and Sustainability at IPE Global, warned that India's megacities are increasingly exposed to extreme rainfall. 'Floods rank highest among natural disasters in terms of losses,' he said. 'Streets turning into rivulets and vehicles getting submerged have become routine for Mumbai's 12 million residents.' IPE Global, he added, is supporting the BMC in developing an AI-ML-powered Multi-Hazard Risk Atlas to climate-proof Mumbai's infrastructure, livelihoods, and lives. Experts said that in climate scenario, such events would become reoccurring and advance warning systems are the way, be it in Mumbai or in the Himalayas.
New Indian Express
an hour ago
- New Indian Express
IMD predicts brief relief after rains lash Telangana
HYDERABAD/MULUGU/BHUPALPALLY/ JAGTIAL/ADILABAD : After nearly a week of heavy showers, Telangana is likely to see a brief spell of sunshine starting Wednesday, with rainfall activity expected only in a few isolated places. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has not issued any red or orange alerts for the state, though a yellow alert continues for select districts. On Tuesday, several parts of north Telangana witnessed heavy downpours. According to Telangana Development Planning Society, Eturnagaram in Mulugu recorded the highest rainfall, 19.1 cm. Car of 3 missing women found Two days after three Telangana women — Haseena, Afrin and Sameena went missing when their car was swept away by floodwaters in Maharashtra, rescue teams found the vehicle under a bridge near Mukramabad in Nanded district on Tuesday morning. The car was located about 24 km from the spot where they were last seen. Sameena's saree and Afrin's burqa were found inside the car, while search operations are still underway. It may be recalled that the three women, residents of TR Nagar in Jagtial, had gone to attend an event in Maharashtra. On their return journey on Sunday, their car was swept away by floods in Nanded district. NDRF rescues four in Mulugu Four individuals, including a shepherd and three fishermen from Kalwapalli village in Tadvai mandal, were stranded in a forest area on Monday evening after heavy water flow in a stream prevented them from returning. The forest department has closed the Bogatha Waterfall in Wazeedu mandal after heavy inflows. Pilgrims have been barred from visiting the Sammakka-Sarlamma temple in Medaram of Tadvai mandal as a precautionary measure. Record rains Eturnagaram in Mulugu recorded the highest rainfall 19.1 cm Mangapet 18.7 cm Venkatapuram 12.1 cm Adilabad's Jainad mandal 11.68 cm state's highest single-day rainfall was recorded in Bhadradri Kothagudem (Palvancha) 8.98 cm
Indian Express
an hour ago
- Indian Express
‘Climate change acts like a steroid, good network of early warning systems only way out': experts as Mumbai records over 900 mm of rainfall in 4 days
As Mumbai experienced one of the heaviest rain spells during August, climatology experts and scientists warned that such situations will become a more common occurrence in a warming world owing to climatic factors. After a prolonged dry patch in July, a spell of extremely heavy rain returned to the city around August 16. Usually, July is one of the wettest monsoon months for Mumbai, while the intensity of rainfall usually decreases during August. The India Meteorological Department (IMD)'s data show that Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded 944 mm of rainfall, and the Colaba observatory witnessed 461.8 mm of rainfall until August 19. Meanwhile, between July 1 and July 31, the Santacruz observatory recorded 799.4 mm of rainfall, followed by 379.6 mm at Colaba. 'While there is a natural variability of monsoon weather systems, climate change acts like a steroid. The northward swing of the southwesterly monsoon winds is pumping massive amounts of moisture from the warm Arabian Sea into the northern Western Ghats. This northward swing is a combination of global warming, especially the warming over the Middle East, and the natural variability of the monsoon winds,' said Dr Raghu Murtugudde, Emeritus Professor, University of Maryland, and retired IIT Bombay professor. The moisture supply for the summer monsoon rainfall along the west coast of the Indian subcontinent is mainly transported from the Arabian Sea. However, recent climate studies show that the Middle East is warming almost twice as fast as other inhabited parts of the world, which has been causing a dramatic increase in atmospheric instability in the Arabian Sea by thrusting moisture supplies northward. Therefore, the regions of Northwest India have been vulnerable to unprecedented rainfall. 'We all know that there has been a rise in temperature due to global warming. Secondly, the exponential warming of the Arabian Sea has increased the moisture influx along the West Coast, contributing to heavy precipitation. In this scenario, the only way out is to have a very good network of early warning systems, nowcast systems for urban flooding,' said Dr Subimal Ghosh, Institute Chair Professor, Department of Civil Engineering and Convener, Interdisciplinary Program in Climate Studies, IIT Bombay. 'More importantly, these advanced warning systems should be citizen-centric, which means the information should reach out to people so informed decisions can be taken. IIT Mumbai has created the Mumbai Flood Monitoring System, which helps in disseminating timely information to various stakeholders,' Ghosh added. Last year, the Council on Energy, Environment and Water (CEEW) prepared a Thane City Action Plan for Flood Risk Management, which offered a framework for administrators to strengthen preparedness, response, and mitigation measures against urban floods. Based on a detailed analysis of 52 years of rainfall data, the system analyses intensity-duration-frequency curves, estimates peak flow discharges, and creates a ward-wise urban flood risk index to identify vulnerable hotspots. However, a similar type of regulation is yet to be drafted for Mumbai. The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), in 2021, released the Mumbai Climate Action Plan (MCAP), which showed that 35 per cent of Mumbai's population is vulnerable to waterlogging in the city.
