Mumbai Weather News Today: Mumbai experienced the onset of the rainy season today, accompanied by a significant dust storm that darkened the sky around 3 pm. While the rainfall brought relief from the heat to the residents of Mumbai and its surrounding areas, the metropolitan skyline was shrouded by dusty winds.
The sudden change in weather led to a standstill in traffic as commuters sought shelter during the storm. Strong winds and rain were particularly observed in the Ghatkopar, Bandra Kurla, and Dharavi areas of Mumbai.
IMD issues warning
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Mumbai issued a “nowcast warning”, predicting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate to intense rainfall for Thane, Palghar, and Mumbai, reported PTI.
The weather office has also updated that thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning and moderate to intense rainfall, along with gusty winds reaching speeds of 50-60 km/hr, are likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Palghar and Thane within the next 3-4 hours.
Accidents caused
A dramatic incident occurred at the Cheddanagar Junction in Ghatkopar, where a 100-foot tall billboard was uprooted and fell on a petrol pump, trapping vehicles and individuals. According to a report by PTI, at least seven people were injured in the accident.
“Some people are feared trapped under the hoarding and a search and rescue operation is underway,” civic officials said.
In another occurrence, metro services between Aarey and Andheri East metro stations were suspended after a banner landed on the overhead wire due to strong winds. Similarly, suburban services on the Central Railway were affected when an overhead equipment pole between Thane and Mulund stations bent due to strong winds.
The impact of the strong winds extended to causing trees to fall in several areas. In Navi Mumbai, a tree fell on a busy road in the Aroli Sector 5 area, leading to a halt in traffic. Commuters parked their vehicles at a safe distance as heavy winds persisted in the city.
Airport services
The operations at the Mumbai airport were also affected by the storm. Flights were diverted and halted.
Air Vistara wrote on X, formerly known as Twitter, that it rerouted specific flights bound for Mumbai to Goa due to prevailing weather conditions.
Several airlines released advisories to inform passengers about the situation amidst the adverse weather conditions.
SpiceJet stated on X, “Due to adverse weather conditions in Mumbai (BOM), there is a possibility of disruption in departures, arrivals, and subsequent flights.”
IndiGo stated, “A dust storm has reoccurred, this time affecting Mumbai. Potential congestion in air traffic is anticipated, thus passengers are advised to monitor their flight status closely.”
(Inputs from PTI)