Monsoon advancement likely in Maharashtra after June 24: IMD  

Meteorologists from the IMD have attributed the delayed advancement of monsoons to a lack of strong surge, weakened monsoon circulation, absent systems such as cyclonic circulations and offshore troughs as well as lack of prevailing large-scale circulation patterns like Madden-Julian Oscillation (MJO).

Amid sparse pre-monsoon spells and delayed onset of monsoon, the IMD has forecast hot and humid conditions across Mumbai and neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad where a yellow alert is likely to stay until June 19. As per the forecast bulletin, temperatures are likely to surpass 35 degrees in Mumbai while in Thane temperatures may escalate over 36 degrees.

On Wednesday, day temperatures soared to 35.8 degrees — over four degrees above normal — in Colaba station while in the Santacruz observatory, maximum temperatures touched 34.8 degrees Celsius. The above normal temperatures came after pockets of the city experienced light drizzle in the early hours with the island city and western suburbs receiving 0.04 mm and 0.01 mm of rain each.

Overall, the Santacruz observatory has received only 12.9 mm rain until now while the Colaba coastal station has recorded 4.3 mm rain in June. Records show that this marks a departure of over 200 per cent below the actual average rainfall for the season. According to the climatological records, the city receives an average of 526 mm rain in June.