Monsoon brings cheer to Mumbai

The southwest monsoon finally hit Mumbai Sunday, a day earlier than its usual date of approaching here, bringing welcome rains that cooled the city while also disrupting normal life.

According to the weather bureau, Mumbai south recorded 32 mm and suburbs 36.7 mm rain till 5 a.m. Sunday.

The forecast is heavy to very heavy rain over Mumbai and surrounding areas for the next 24 hours.

The temperatures cooled to a pleasant minimum of 23 degrees Celsius and maximum of 29 degrees Celsius in Mumbai, and a similar range is forecast for the next two days.

Torrential rain since Saturday night resulted in waterlogging in several areas of the city, disrupting normal life.

The Municipal Corporation of Greater Mumbai (MCGM) Disaster Management Cell said over one-and-half foot flooding was witnessed in Dadar east area following heavy rain in the night.

Certain low-lying areas in Jogeshwari, Vikhroli, Mazagaon, Malad and other areas also reported waterlogging after the downpour.

Sunday morning, traffic in many parts slowed; the rains have affected visibility, though suburban trains on the Western Railway and Central Railway continued plying their regular routine.

Other parts of the state have also received rainfall, bringing bringing welcome respite from water scarcity and intense heat in the past few months.

Many parts of the state, including Mumbai, were lashed by intermittent pre-monsoon showers last week, which have claimed 10 lives so far.