Mumbai records 100 mm rainfall in 24 hours; IMD issues orange alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an ‘orange’ alert for Mumbai and Thane. A red alert has also been issued for Raigad, Pune and Palghar districts today. This is after a week of moderate monsoon.

In the last 24 hours, heavy rains drenched Mumbai, recording close to 100 mm of rain till Wednesday morning. This made it the wettest day in July this season. As per the IMD, an ‘orange’ alert is issued when the rainfall ranges between 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm within a day and a ‘red’ alert is issued when the rainfall within a day is likely to be over 204.5 mm.

In the bulletin issued at 8.30 am on July 19, the IMD also warned of a cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal and Odisha. Raigad District Collector Yogesh Mhase declared a holiday on Wednesday and ordered schools and colleges in the district to be shut due to heavy rainfall. The continuous downpour has created severe water logging in Mumbai and Thane, disrupting essential services.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation reported the death of a person after a house collapsed in the Bhandup area of Mumbai in heavy rains. On Tuesday, local train services were also affected due to heavy rainfall. The Central Railway CPRO informed that services between Badlapur and Ambernath are halted due to severe waterlogging in the tracks. Meanwhile, several parts of India, including Maharashtra, Gujarat, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Karnataka and Kerala, continue to receive heavy rainfall.