Mumbai records highest single-day rainfall in August, IMD issues yellow alert

After experiencing overcast skies and drizzle throughout Wednesday, moderate showers swept the city overnight. Data from the IMD showed that between Wednesday and Thursday morning, the Santacruz station recorded 50 mm of rain, while the Colaba coastal observatory registered 53 mm of rain.

According to records from the city’s automatic weather stations, the highest rainfall was recorded in the western suburbs at an average of 41.4 mm, followed by 32.4 mm in the eastern suburbs and 21 mm in the island city division.

Some pockets of the city received heavy rainfall, with Malad receiving 85 mm of rain, followed by 72 mm of rain in the Andheri area and 70 mm of rain in Powai, according to reports of BMC. This comes as a respite for the city experiencing an extended period of dry spell over the past few weeks, making it Mumbai’s rainiest day of August so far.

The city has been experiencing a rain deficit owing to the absence of heavy rain over the past weeks. Even as the city’s suburban station receives an average of 566 mm of rain in August, the Santacruz observatory has received only 114 mm of rain until August 14.

Pointing to several active systems in the region, the IMD has said that Maharashtra, including Mumbai and the extended Konkan region, is set to witness a resurgence in rain activity with heavy rainfall forecast between August 13 and August 19.

According to meteorologists, as of Wednesday, there was a low-pressure area over west central and adjoining northwest Bay of Bengal, off North Andhra Pradesh and South Odisha coasts. Further, an associated upper air cyclonic circulation is slated to intensify and become well-marked over the next 24 hours. Besides, an east-west trough is also currently running from the Bay of Bengal up to the northeast Arabian Sea. “Under its influence, the rainfall activity over Maharashtra is very likely to increase during 13-19 August 2025,” said an IMD scientist.