Weather Update: IMD issues 'orange alert' for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar; 'red alert' sounded for several districts

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday issued a red alert for several districts in the Konkan region and an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar, warning of heavy rainfall over the next two days.

Mumbai experienced steady rain since early Wednesday morning, leading to waterlogging in low-lying areas such as the Andheri subway. Civic officials said traffic movement was affected in parts of the city. Traffic jams were reported on the Eastern Express Highway and the Western Express Highway due to the downpour.

As per civic officials, the island city received 47.77 mm of rain, eastern suburbs 33.10 mm, and western suburbs 53.92 mm during the 24 hours ending at 8 am on Wednesday. The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Mumbai said a low-pressure area forming in the Bay of Bengal is expected to impact the Konkan region and ghat areas in Maharashtra.

“In the next 24 hours, a low pressure area is forming in the Bay of Bengal, and its impact will be visible on the Konkan region of Maharashtra,” RMC official Shubhangi Bhute said.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for Thursday, forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places. A yellow alert has been issued for these areas on Friday.

A red alert has been issued for Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg districts on Thursday, predicting heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places and extremely heavy rainfall at isolated locations. The alert remains in effect for Raigad and Ratnagiri on Friday.

The IMD has also issued a red alert for the ghat areas of Satara, Pune and Kolhapur on Thursday, and for the ghat regions of Satara and Pune on Friday. A red alert indicates "take action," while orange and yellow alerts mean "be prepared to take action" and "be aware," respectively.