Monsoon arrives in Mumbai after nearly 2-week delay

“Further advancement of the Southwest Monsoon in the remaining parts of Jharkhand and Bihar, as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh, is likely in the subsequent 3-4 days.”

After an early advance of monsoon winds from Kerala to Maharashtra by June 6, the system remained stalled in southern Maharashtra due to a lack of favourable monsoon systems, including offshore troughs, low-pressure areas, and cyclonic circulations in the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.

“However, favourable conditions for further movement of the Southwest Monsoon have developed over the past 48 hours,” said an IMD scientist.

This is the city’s most delayed onset in the past three years, with Mumbai previously recording a late monsoon arrival in 2023 on June 25.

Morning rain

Before the IMD announcement, light to moderate showers swept the suburbs and the island city division of Mumbai in the morning.

Records from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) automatic weather station show that between 8 am and 9 am, Malvani recorded 32 mm of rainfall, followed by 29 mm in Parel, 25 mm in Worli, and 27 mm in Malad.

In the past 24 hours, the Santacruz observatory recorded 12 mm of rainfall, while Colaba reported 49 mm.

Amid delayed onset and pre-monsoon showers eluding the city, IMD has said there is a deficit of over 300 per cent of the average rainfall for June in Mumbai. While Mumbai typically receives 526 mm of rainfall in June, the Santacruz observatory has only received 46 mm between June 1 and June 23.