Mumbai heaves a sigh of relief as rain brings down temperature; yellow alert sounded

For two consecutive days this week, temperature levels in the metropolis surpassed 36 degree Celsius, leaving citizens to grapple under high temperatures and humidity.

On Wednesday afternoon, however, residents heaved a sigh of relief as light to moderate showers made a comeback, post noon. Owing to the showers, the temperatures saw a stark drop of nearly six degrees from a day prior, with the maximum temperatures hovering around 30 degrees in the suburbs as well as in the city division.
Mahesh Palawat from Skymet Weather Services told The Indian Express that the city is likely to witness ‘on and off’ light showers for the next 2-3 days at least.

“Currently, there’s a cyclonic circulation in the Arabian Sea which will intensify into a low pressure area and then turn into a depression in the next couple of days. Alongside this, there’s also a trough extending towards the south of Gujarat and coastal areas of Maharashtra. Together, these factors are likely to bring in light showers for the next 2 -3 days. However, it won’t be a continuous spell of showers,” said Palawat.

In the development of the systems, the withdrawal of south-west monsoon in Mumbai is also likely to experience a delay from the typical dates. The official date of southwest monsoon withdrawal in the city is October 10.

While several citizens were taken in by surprise owing to the sudden influx of showers, meteorologists said that cyclones are very typical to the month of October. Palawat added, “Cyclones in the Arabian Sea are very normal during the month of May as well as October-November, when the city witnesses withdrawal of monsoons.”

Amid likelihood of moderate showers, IMD Mumbai has sounded a yellow warning in Mumbai for Friday, stating the likelihood of thunderstorms coupled with lightning and gusty winds. The neighbouring districts of Thane and Raigad, meanwhile, have been placed under a yellow alert until Friday at least.