75-year-old record shattered: Monsoon makes lightning entry into Mumbai 16 days ahead of schedule
Historically, Mumbai’s earliest monsoon onset was recorded on May 29 in 1956, 1962, and 1971. This year, the city has leapfrogged even that, signalling an exceptional weather event.
- May 26, 2025,
- Updated May 26, 2025 3:23 PM IST
Breaking a 70-year-old record, the southwest monsoon made a dramatic early arrival in Mumbai on May 26 — beating its typical schedule by over two weeks. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials it is the earliest arrival of rains in the country's financial capital in 75 years. IMD said monsoon has also surged into large swathes of Maharashtra, Karnataka including Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and parts of the Northeast.
The IMD noted that conditions remain favourable for further advancement, predicting full monsoon coverage over Mumbai within the next two days. Historically, Mumbai’s earliest monsoon onset was recorded on May 29 in 1956, 1962, and 1971. This year, the city has leapfrogged even that, signaling an exceptional weather event.
"The Southwest Monsoon has advanced to Mumbai today, May 26, 2025, against the normal date of advancement, June 11. Thus, the monsoon has arrived in Mumbai 16 days earlier than usual. This marks the earliest monsoon advancement over Mumbai during the period 2001-2025," the IMD said.
This accelerated pace is unusual. The monsoon hit Maharashtra just a day after arriving in Kerala on May 24 — something that last happened in 1971 and 2012. Normally, this transition takes at least three days. The system has already reached as far as Devgad in South Konkan, marking a 10-day head start.
Between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, Colaba received 105.2 millimetres of rainfall, Santacruz (55 mm), Bandra (68.5 mm), Juhu Airport (63.5 mm), Chembur (38.5 mm), Vikhroli (37.5 mm), Mahalaxmi (33.5 mm) and Sion (53.5 mm), the IMD said. Monsoon also arrived in Pune during the day, the IMD added.
But the rains haven’t arrived without disruption.
In Mumbai, services on Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli were suspended after heavy rains flooded the underground station at Acharya Atre Chowk. Viral videos from the site showed rainwater seeping along escalators, a collapsed false ceiling, and scattered machinery. The flooding has raised questions about construction quality and monsoon preparedness for the Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR corridor.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra, the early and intense pre-monsoon showers have left onion farmers reeling. Bharat Dighole, president of the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association, told PTI that crops across thousands of acres have suffered due to rains that began in early May. Damage assessments are still pending as rains continue to lash key onion-growing regions like Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
This year’s early onset over Kerala on May 24 is the earliest since 2009. Typically, the southwest monsoon begins in Kerala by June 1, reaches Mumbai by June 11, and covers the entire country by July 8.
IMD said conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Maharashtra, remaining parts of Karnataka, some more parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of westcentral & some more parts of North Bay of Bengal and remaining parts Northeastern states and some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during next three days.
Breaking a 70-year-old record, the southwest monsoon made a dramatic early arrival in Mumbai on May 26 — beating its typical schedule by over two weeks. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials it is the earliest arrival of rains in the country's financial capital in 75 years. IMD said monsoon has also surged into large swathes of Maharashtra, Karnataka including Bengaluru, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, and parts of the Northeast.
The IMD noted that conditions remain favourable for further advancement, predicting full monsoon coverage over Mumbai within the next two days. Historically, Mumbai’s earliest monsoon onset was recorded on May 29 in 1956, 1962, and 1971. This year, the city has leapfrogged even that, signaling an exceptional weather event.
"The Southwest Monsoon has advanced to Mumbai today, May 26, 2025, against the normal date of advancement, June 11. Thus, the monsoon has arrived in Mumbai 16 days earlier than usual. This marks the earliest monsoon advancement over Mumbai during the period 2001-2025," the IMD said.
This accelerated pace is unusual. The monsoon hit Maharashtra just a day after arriving in Kerala on May 24 — something that last happened in 1971 and 2012. Normally, this transition takes at least three days. The system has already reached as far as Devgad in South Konkan, marking a 10-day head start.
Between 8.30 am and 11.30 am, Colaba received 105.2 millimetres of rainfall, Santacruz (55 mm), Bandra (68.5 mm), Juhu Airport (63.5 mm), Chembur (38.5 mm), Vikhroli (37.5 mm), Mahalaxmi (33.5 mm) and Sion (53.5 mm), the IMD said. Monsoon also arrived in Pune during the day, the IMD added.
But the rains haven’t arrived without disruption.
In Mumbai, services on Metro Line 3 between Acharya Atre Chowk and Worli were suspended after heavy rains flooded the underground station at Acharya Atre Chowk. Viral videos from the site showed rainwater seeping along escalators, a collapsed false ceiling, and scattered machinery. The flooding has raised questions about construction quality and monsoon preparedness for the Colaba-BKC-Aarey JVLR corridor.
Elsewhere in Maharashtra, the early and intense pre-monsoon showers have left onion farmers reeling. Bharat Dighole, president of the Maharashtra State Onion Producers Farmers Association, told PTI that crops across thousands of acres have suffered due to rains that began in early May. Damage assessments are still pending as rains continue to lash key onion-growing regions like Nashik, Pune, Kolhapur, and Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar.
This year’s early onset over Kerala on May 24 is the earliest since 2009. Typically, the southwest monsoon begins in Kerala by June 1, reaches Mumbai by June 11, and covers the entire country by July 8.
IMD said conditions are favourable for further advance of southwest monsoon into remaining parts of central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Maharashtra, remaining parts of Karnataka, some more parts of Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of westcentral & some more parts of North Bay of Bengal and remaining parts Northeastern states and some parts of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim during next three days.