Mumbai weather update: Light rain and thunderstorms to continue for next two days

Rain batters the glass of a car on the Western Express Highway at Vile Parle on Tuesday. Pic/Rane Ashish

The slight drop in temperature due to the unseasonal rain that has brought relief to Mumbai, could continue for another few days as meteorologists have predicted more showers. Mumbai and several other areas of Maharashtra are likely to experience light to moderate rainfall as well as thunderstorms over the next two days, due to a trough that runs from south Konkan to central Chhattisgarh at lower tropospheric levels, according to a representative of the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The rain and thunderstorm activity have come at a time when temperatures in the city and adjoining areas were on the higher side.

The temperature in the city was on the rise for the past three consecutive days. On Sunday the maximum temperature recorded was 38.1 degrees Celsius. The temperature jumped to 39.3 degrees Celsius (the highest of this season - March 2023) on Monday. On Tuesday post light rain and thunderstorms, the temperature dropped to 35.8 degrees Celsius as per the Santacruz Observatory, while the Colaba observatory recorded 33 degrees Celsius.

"All through February, the average maximum temperature was around 29 to 30 degrees Celsius, the highest since 2016. Now the first week of March too has recorded the highest temperature so far," said an IMD official. "Under these influences, isolated light or moderate rainfall with thunderstorms are very likely over central India on March 7 and 8 and over Maharashtra from March 7 to March 9," the official said.

Also Read: At 38.1 degree C, Sunday was Mumbai's hottest day of 2023 yet

Hailstorms expected

During the next 24 hours, isolated rain and thundershowers may occur over eastern parts of Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh as well as eastern Madhya Pradesh. Some areas in Maharashtra are likely to witness hailstorms too, meteorologists have predicted.

Explaining in detail the weather system causing the unseasonal rain, Rajesh Kapadia of Vagaries of Weather, a popular private weather blog said, "Many areas of Gujarat and western Maharashtra including Mumbai have been getting mild unseasonal showers since Sunday night. Mumbai too had unseasonal showers with thunder, lightning and gusty winds. These showers are attributed to the extreme heat Mumbai experienced - 38.1 degrees Celsius on Sunday and 39.3 degrees Celsius on Monday. That amounted to 6 degrees above the normal. The extreme heat, coupled with a modest easterly wind, resulted in a delay of the cooler sea breeze setting in. (Sea breeze phenomena is typically normal for Mumbai). Extreme heat resulted in thundercloud formation, which was almost 15 kms in height over Mumbai.

This resulted in hail in outer areas. Hail was seen in Mumbai for the second time, the first being on March 9, 2006. Rain in Mumbai occurs also when these easterly winds and westerlies confluence over interior west Maharashtra. Mumbai has witnessed March rains several times before. The last being in 2015. In March of 2006, heavy showers were witnessed in Mumbai (13 mms). Colaba observatory recorded 37 mms in March 1918.

‘A rare occurence'

However, calling it a rare occurrence, meteorologists at Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, on its website stated, "As far as the month of March is concerned, rains are absent from the commercial capital of India. In fact, the monthly mean of Mumbai is at 0.1 mm, which means that the city almost does not see any rain whatsoever unless freak weather around the region."

"However, on Sunday and Monday, Mumbai not only witnessed traces of rain but also thunderstorm activities. This is because a Cyclonic Circulation has been over southwest Madhya Pradesh and adjoining north Madhya (central) Maharashtra. Along with this, a trough is extending from the Cyclonic Circulation to north Konkan and Goa, which has resulted in isolated rain over Mumbai along with some scattered rain over Madhya Maharashtra. Isolated patches of rain may be seen for the next one or two days," a meteorologist from Skymet weather said.

15 km
Height of thundercloud over city