IMD lowers warning, but issues orange alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar

The India Meteorological Department (IMD), in a press note, stated, “Heavy to very heavy rains at few places is very likely owing to active monsoon conditions over the Konkan coast.”

The IMD on Sunday also re-issued a warning to fishermen on the Maharashtra coast and advised not to venture into the sea for the next two days.

According to weather experts, intermittent rains will continue in Mumbai on Monday with some heavy spells. “There will be no monsoon break as we saw from July 10 to the last week. There is moisture in the air due to which Mumbai will get non-continuous rainfall for the next 24 hours. The amount will be less in the remaining days of this week,” said Akshay Deoras, meteorologist and PhD researcher at the department of meteorology, University of Reading, UK.

Mumbai suburbs had recorded the season’s second highest 24-hour rainfall between 8.30 am on Friday and 8.30 am on Saturday with 219.2 mm rain. In the next 24 hours from 8.30 am (Saturday) and 8.30 am (Sunday), Mumbai suburbs recorded 27.7 mm rainfall while South Mumbai recorded 44.2 mm in the same duration.

According to the weather department, 15.6 mm to 64.4 mm rain is considered “moderate”, 64.5 mm to 115.5 mm “heavy”, 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm “very heavy” and more than 204.5 mm “extremely heavy”.

As for the discrepancy in rainfall prediction, Deoras added, “In the tropical belt (India is in the tropical belt), rainfall prediction has its challenges. Any meteorologist cannot entirely rely on weather models as opposed to non-tropical regions such as the UK. For example, at present, the weather model shows 70 mm to 130 mm rainfall for the Mumbai region till the morning of July 29, which is heavy to very heavy. It’s the forecaster’s judgment to know if this situation can happen or not. We cannot blindly follow weather models.”