Temperature spike likely before pre-monsoon rain in Mumbai, neighbouring districts: IMD

According to the weather bureau, Mumbai is slated to experience a spike in temperatures from Friday, with the maximum likely to surpass 35 degrees Celsius. On Friday afternoon, the skies will remain partly cloudy. This marginal spike would be followed by a dip in the temperature, coupled with the likelihood of pre-monsoon showers and thunderstorms.

Starting Sunday, the IMD said Mumbai will experience rain or thunderstorms during the afternoon or evening. On Monday and Tuesday too, Mumbai will see cloudy skies with the likelihood of rainfall and thunderstorms.

In its forecast bulletin, the meteorological office has indicated similar showers in Thane, Palghar and Raigad, wherein a yellow warning of ‘thunderstorms with moderate rain and lightning’ has been issued for Monday.

Director of IMD Mumbai Shubhangi Bhute told The Indian Express that several pockets of Konkan are likely to witness thundershowers in the coming week, owing to a trough system. “Currently, there is a deepening trough, which is more prominent towards the coast. This system will result in the influx of pre-monsoon activity, which is a typical feature of summers,” added Bhute.

While no alerts have been sounded in Mumbai, several districts in the Vidarbha region have been placed under a yellow warning over the coming days owing to the possibility of thunderstorms coupled with gusty winds and lightning.

Mumbai is prone to experiencing unseasonal showers during the summer months, which meteorologists attribute to the interaction of easterly and westerly winds. Typically, the city experiences “trace” showers — too insignificant to be measured — between April and May, before the onset of the monsoon around June 11.

In the early hours of April 26, pockets of Mumbai’s eastern suburbs had experienced patchy drizzle.