Mumbai Rains: 29 Trees Fall, 18 Fire Incidents Reported After Heavy Showers & Gusty Winds Wreak Havoc In City

Mumbai: Mumbai and its surrounding regions have been hit by heavy, unseasonal rainfall over the past few days, leading to flooding, traffic snarls and a series of weather alerts. On Tuesday evening, intense showers combined with gusty winds and thunderstorms caused severe waterlogging in parts of the city, especially in areas like Powai, Andheri and Mira-Bhayandar. The downpour disrupted road traffic and brought parts of the metropolis to a halt.

According to the Mumbai Fire Brigade, the city witnessed 29 incidents of tree falls during the stormy spell, leaving two people injured. In addition, a section of a house collapsed in one locality within the city, although no injuries were reported. Fires also broke out at 18 separate locations, but fortunately, there were no casualties.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of more heavy rainfall accompanied by lightning and thunderstorms over the next four days. This is due to the formation of an upper air cyclonic circulation over the east central Arabian Sea, off the Karnataka coast, on May 21. The system is expected to move northward from May 22 and intensify further, resulting in increased rainfall activity across Maharashtra until May 25.

Early Monsoon Arrival In Mumbai

Mumbai has already been experiencing moderate pre-monsoon showers for the past two weeks, and the IMD has confirmed that the southwest monsoon is likely to arrive early in the state this year. The monsoon is predicted to hit Kerala within the next four to five days, and Mumbai could see its onset by the first week of June, earlier than the usual date of June 11.

For the next 48 hours, the IMD forecasts generally cloudy skies for Mumbai and its suburbs, with moderate to heavy rainfall and possible thunderstorms. Maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to hover around 34°C and 26°C, respectively.

Highest Rainfall Recorded In Month Of May So Far

Notably, this May has brought some of the heaviest rainfall the city has seen in recent years. The Colaba observatory recorded 85.2 mm of rain as of May 18. For context, May rainfall in previous years was much lower, just 6.6 mm in 2022, 17.2 mm in 2023, and 0.4 mm in 2024. Similarly, the Santacruz observatory logged 45.6 mm this month, a sharp contrast to just 0.5 mm in May 2022 and 3.4 mm in 2023. With more rain forecasted, citizens are advised to stay alert and take necessary precautions during this unseasonal weather phase.