Monsoon in Maharashtra likely to withdraw by October 5: IMD

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted that the monsoon in Maharashtra may withdraw by October 5 this year.

Heavy rainfall on Wednesday night left several areas in Maharashtra, particularly Mumbai and Pune, waterlogged. Regional Meteorological Centre in Mumbai scientist Sunil Kamble, in an interview with ANI, shared that Mumbai recorded nearly 2900 millimetres of rainfall during the monsoon season, surpassing the normal average by 600 mm.

“Typically, Mumbai receives around 2300 mm of rainfall during the 3-4 month monsoon season. This year, the total has reached 2900 mm, exceeding the usual amount by 600 mm,” Kamble said.

“In the next 5-6 days monsoon will reduce and there are chances that monsoon will withdraw by October 5 but sometimes the chances increase, so the withdrawal date extends to October 10,” he added.

Kamble said that a red alert was issued for Mumbai earlier as the monsoon is intensifying and later an orange alert was issued.

“Up until yesterday afternoon, Mumbai was under an orange alert, but as conditions worsened, a red alert was issued until 8:30 am this morning. Following the alert, more than 200 mm of rain was recorded in parts of the city. Today, an orange alert has been reinstated. For many districts, orange alerts are in place, with green and yellow alerts expected from tomorrow,” he said.

A red alert was also issued for Palghar, where the monsoon could bring 150 mm to 200 mm of rain.

On Wednesday, Kolaba, Santacruz, and Chembur were the areas hardest hit by rainfall, Kamble added. “According to IMD data, Kolaba and Santacruz registered 170 mm of rainfall, while Chembur saw around 200 mm, as recorded by automatic weather stations. In such cases of severe weather, the IMD issues a red alert and informs district authorities through SMS and email,” he said.

Heavy rains caused widespread waterlogging in parts of Maharashtra, disrupting train, bus, and flight services in Mumbai and Pune. By Thursday morning, train and bus operations had resumed as water levels receded in many areas.

Central Railways confirmed that all local trains are running normally, though some are 3-4 minutes behind schedule due to rescheduled express services. Western Railway suburban services have also been restored as floodwaters subsided at several stations.

In response to the IMD’s forecast, the city administration declared a holiday for all schools and colleges in Mumbai. Pune district administration followed suit, declaring a holiday for educational institutions due to the prediction of heavy rainfall. An orange alert remains in effect for Pune.