Maharashtra rain update: IMD issues red alert, says 'monsoon has aggravated'

The Indian Metrological Department (IMD) on Thursday said that they have issued an orange warning for the state capital which has already experienced the wettest July in decades. The weather agency had earlier issued a red alert for Thursday in Mumbai. 

"Monsoon in entire Maharashtra has aggravated as it is active in the Southwest region. We've given a red alert warning for Mumbai since 223 mm of rainfall has been recorded in Colaba in the last 24 hours and 145 mm in Santacruz. For today, we've given an orange alert warning in Mumbai...We've announced yellow and orange alerts for Vidarbha and Marathwada respectively," said IMD official Sunil Kamble.

Incessant rains in Mumbai on Thursday caused waterlogging in some low-lying areas as well on railway tracks near Marine Lines in south Mumbai and road traffic slowed down in some parts of the city.

The civic body operated pumps to drain out water at Marine Lines and some other places.

The India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Mumbai centre issued a 'red' alert for Mumbai and neighbouring Raigad district on Thursday, predicting "heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places", a civic official said.

The island city, eastern and western suburbs received an average rainfall of 50.87 mm, 32.13 mm and 23.55 mm, respectively, from 8 am to 1 pm on Thursday.

For adjoining Thane and Palghar districts, the weather bureau has issued an 'orange' alert, with a forecast of heavy to very heavy downpour at isolated places, the official said.

For Friday, the IMD has issued a 'yellow' alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy rainfall at isolated places, he said.

The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) had declared a holiday for all government and private schools and colleges in Mumbai on Thursday.

In the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Thursday, the Colaba observatory (representative of the island city) recorded "extremely heavy" rainfall at 223.2 mm, while the Santacruz observatory (representative of suburbs) recorded 145.1 mm rainfall, according to the IMD Mumbai.