Monsoon advance stalls, Mumbai likely to wait another week: IMD

Speaking to The Indian Express, Bikram Singh, director of IMD Mumbai said that monsoon remains stalled till South Konkan in Maharashtra. “There were favourable conditions owing to strong southwest winds which led to moisture incursion, intensive clouding and continuous rain. However, after fast progression, monsoon surge has now weakened. Currently, monsoon remains stalled in the South Konkan region in Maharashtra.”

According to IMD scientists, the weakened surge is likely to further delay the onset of monsoon in Mumbai. “As per current observations, monsoon is unlikely to set in over the next 5 – 6 days. While we are not expecting any movement of the systems over the next week, we are closely monitoring the systems,” Singh added.

The delayed onset of monsoon marks a stark departure from last year, when Mumbai witnessed its earliest monsoon onset in 75 years on May 26. Records show that while the normal date of onset is June 12, the city is prone to witnessing early and late monsoon arrivals.

Furthermore, heavy pre-monsoon showers are also likely to elude Mumbai in the next few days.

The absence of showers has left the city reeling above normal temperatures with maximum temperatures on Thursday afternoon soaring to 35 degrees in the suburbs and island city.

As per the weather bureau forecast, above normal temperatures are here to stay with the IMD sounding a yellow alert of hot and humid conditions in Mumbai as well as Thane and Palghar districts till Saturday. The region is slated to experience light rain, starting Sunday.

The South West monsoon’s slow progression comes at a time when the IMD has forecast below average rainfall across the country, owing to the El Nino system. As per the weather bureau’s downward revision earlier this month, the country is likely to receive only 90 percent of its actual long period average rainfall for this reason.