City logs 2nd wettest May day in 10 yrs, after Tauktae

Time of India

27-05-2025

Mumbai: A 24-hour period between May 26 and 27 marked the second wettest May day in 10 years for both IMD observatories in Mumbai. The Colaba station recorded 162 mm of rainfall, while the Santacruz observatory logged 144 mm.
This level of precipitation was last seen in May 2021, during Cyclone Tauktae, an event not related to the early arrival of the monsoon. At that time, Colaba and Santacruz recorded 257.8 mm and 256 mm of rain, respectively.
So far this May, IMD Colaba has recorded 473.1 mm of rainfall, surpassing its previous all-time monthly high of 279.4 mm set in May 1918. Santacruz has recorded 343.2 mm of rain this month.
Despite the downpour, rainfall remained largely confined to south Mumbai.
The suburbs and catchment areas that feed the city's water supply lakes received little to no precipitation. As of Tuesday, water stock levels remain unchanged at 15%.
The rains, however, did bring some relief from the heat. Minimum temperatures dropped below 30°C, down from nearly 34°C last week. On Tuesday, IMD Colaba recorded a low of 26.4°C, while Santacruz reported 28.7°C.
Although the intensity of rain decreased on Tuesday, a yellow alert remains in effect for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar until May 27, while Raigad is under an orange alert for May 27-28.
On Monday, during a nine-hour period ending at 5.30 pm, Colaba received 16.6 mm of rain, while Santacruz saw just 1.2 mm.
Weather enthusiast Abhijit Modak explained that Monday's heavy rain in south Mumbai was due to a shear zone and vortices convergence, which primarily impacted Raigad. "While Raigad was expected to face intense weather, adjoining areas like Badlapur and parts of south Mumbai also experienced a thunderstorm build-up early in the morning.
These cells, influenced by the shear zone, tracked from northeast to southwest, placing south Mumbai in the path of heavy rainfall," he said.
"In contrast (northern areas) saw minimal rain, as they lay outside the main thunderstorm path."
According to the IMD, the southwest monsoon has already reached Mumbai and Pune. Over the next 2-3 days, it is expected to advance further into the central Arabian Sea, more parts of Maharashtra, Karnataka, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and much of the west-central and northern Bay of Bengal.