Southwest monsoon advances into central Arabian Sea, IMD issues red alert

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for heavy rainfall in Sindhudurg, an orange alert for Ratnagiri, and a yellow alert for Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, and Raigad. The forecast predicts thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, moderate to heavy spells of rain, and gusty winds in these regions.

The regional IMD office in Mumbai released the alert on Saturday, urging the public to exercise caution due to the expected severe weather conditions. According to the district forecast for Maharashtra, thunderstorms with lightning and heavy rain, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 40-50 km/h, are likely to occur in isolated places within Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad over the next 3-4 hours, starting from 4:00 am on Sunday.

In response to the alerts, the IMD has advised residents to take necessary precautions while venturing out, given the adverse weather conditions. Early Sunday morning saw several parts of Mumbai experiencing rainfall, adding to the anticipated weather activity.

In related developments, the IMD reported on Saturday that the southwest monsoon has advanced into parts of the central Arabian Sea, southern Maharashtra, Telangana, southern Chhattisgarh, southern Odisha, and coastal Andhra Pradesh. The IMD announced on social media platform X, “Southwest Monsoon has advanced into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, south Maharashtra, Telangana and some parts of south Chhattisgarh and south Odisha and some more parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh today, 8 June 2024.”

Favorable conditions are expected to aid the further advancement of the Southwest Monsoon into the remaining parts of the central Arabian Sea, parts of Maharashtra (including Mumbai), and Telangana over the next 2-3 days.

Meanwhile, several parts of India experienced light to moderate rainfall on Wednesday amidst a severe heatwave affecting various regions. Guwahati reported waterlogging due to heavy rainfall, while parts of Kullu and Manali in Himachal Pradesh, Chennai, and Hubbali in Karnataka also received rain showers.