As heavy rain lashes Mumbai, Colaba radar not functioning for 2 weeks

“We use radar for live monitoring of current meteorological conditions and issuing short nowcast warnings. However, we use satellite imagery and numerical weather prediction for primary aspects of forecasting, which include issuing five-day forecasts and preparing weather charts. Therefore, the non-functionality of these radars has not impacted these aspects of forecasting,” the IMD official said.

The radar is 15 years old, and this is the second time in a year that it has malfunctioned.

S-band radar well-suited to India’s monsoon and cyclone-prone regions

The Colaba radar has a surveillance radius of 500 km, while the Veravali radar has a surveillance radius of 250 km.
The Colaba radar is an S-band system, well-suited to India’s monsoon and cyclone-prone regions because its longer wavelength allows it to see through intense rain with minimal signal loss. The Veravali radar is a C-band system, which is useful for regional weather monitoring.

Over the past four days, Mumbai has received heavy rain. The city woke up to a red nowcast warning on Wednesday. On Thursday, the IMD’s Santacruz station recorded 205 mm of rainfall while the Colaba coastal observatory received 158 mm of rainfall till 8.30 am. Areas like Andheri, Powai, Bhandup, and Wadala recorded above 200 mm of rainfall.