Mumbai battered by over 300 mm overnight rain; traffic and trains hit
IMD has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai until Thursday morning.
Amid the heavy rain in Mumbai, a large tree fell on a car near Dadar TT. Express Photo Mumbai woke up to flooded roads, severe traffic snarls, and disrupted train services Wednesday after an intense overnight spell of rain dumped more than 300 mm across several parts of the city, following the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officially announcing the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon.
South Mumbai recorded its wettest June day in over a decade, with 248 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours. Colaba’s all-time 24-hour rainfall record was set on June 10, 1991, when the observatory recorded more than 478 mm.
IMD, which issued a yellow alert and predicted heavy rain, issued a red nowcast warning for Mumbai and Palghar districts at 4 am on Wednesday, amid the possibility of intense spells, thunderstorms, and gusty winds. The weather bureau downgraded the district’s nowcast to an orange alert at 7 am. It has also sounded a yellow alert for Mumbai until Thursday morning.
On Tuesday, light rain swept parts of Mumbai throughout the day, with the suburban station recording 8.9 mm and the Colaba coastal observatory recording 36 mm between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm.
Light rain swept parts of Mumbai throughout the day, with the suburban station recording 8.9 mm and the Colaba coastal observatory recording 36 mm between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm on Tuesday.
Heavy rain
After that, monsoon showers gathered pace with intense spells of downpour lashing Mumbai’s southern and suburban divisions.
Records from the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC)’s automatic weather stations showed that from 10 pm onward, downpours lashed the city with many pockets receiving over 300 mm of rainfall in a day.
Between 8 am on Tuesday and 7 pm Wednesday, the F/South ward office in the island city received 322 mm while Malwani in the western suburbs recorded 334 mm rainfall. Powai received 296 mm. Malad 289 mm, Charkop 281 mm, Dadar 277 mm, Kandivali 265 mm, and Byculla 255 mm of rainfall.
Between 8.30 am on Tuesday and Wednesday, the Santacruz observatory received 225 mm of rain in a span of 24 hours, while the Colaba observatory received 248 mm of rainfall.
Traffic snarls, train service disruption
Amid intense showers, low-lying areas such as Andheri Subway, Hindmata Junction, Dadar, Gandhi Market, and Malad Subway were flooded, bringing traffic to a standstill. Waterlogging was also reported in the King Circle junction, forcing pedestrians and vehicles to wade through accumulated water.
To facilitate traffic movement, the civic administration deployed dewatering pumps across the city to clear flooded areas. Andheri Subway was dewatered and opened for traffic by 5.30 am.
Bus services operated by the Brihanmumbai Electric Supply and Transport (BEST) were also diverted on several routes due to waterlogging and the uprooting of trees caused by heavy rain. While most affected routes were restored by 10.30 am, buses on routes A-224 from Santacruz depot to Borivali railway station, 110 from Wadala to Worli, and 117 from Dadar to Wadala depot remained curtailed.
Heavy rain also disrupted suburban railway services on the Trans-Harbour line for nearly an hour, causing significant inconvenience to office-goers and daily commuters travelling between Thane and Navi Mumbai during the early morning peak hours, leading to cascading delays across the network.
The disruption came after soil and ballast beneath the railway tracks caved in between Turbhe and Koparkhairane stations following severe waterlogging in the area. Consequently, train services on the corridor remained suspended for over an hour, from 5.50 am to 7.35 am, affecting connectivity between Thane and Navi Mumbai.
Upon detecting the track issue, Railway authorities immediately initiated safety measures, including crowd management and emergency repair work at the site. According to a Central Railway official, engineering teams were rushed to the affected stretch to stabilise the track bed and restore safe operations. Services resumed shortly after repairs were completed, with normal operations restored by 7.35 am.
The disruption affected 12 services in both directions on the Trans-Harbour line.
Separately, waterlogging was also reported on the tracks at Matunga railway station on the main line, causing a temporary delay of 10-15 minutes to suburban services.
Meanwhile, suburban services on the Harbour line of Central Railway, as well as the Western Railway network, continued to operate normally despite moderate rainfall across Mumbai and its suburbs. Railway authorities said they remained on alert as the city continued to receive monsoon showers.
Share
