Mumbai, India – The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red nowcast warning for Mumbai and several other districts in Maharashtra, forecasting intense to very intense rainfall accompanied by gusty winds over the next three hours. The warning, which also covers Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and Ratnagiri, advises residents to stay indoors and avoid low-lying or flood-prone areas.
“Red nowcast warning for heavy rain accompanied with thunderstorm- Maharashtra- Thane, Pune, Raigad #Madhya Pradesh- Sagar, Balaghat #Mumbai city #Orange Nowcast Warning for Mumbai Moderate spells of rain very likely,” the IMD announced on social media platform X.
The city has been grappling with incessant downpours that have led to widespread waterlogging, causing significant disruptions to daily life. According to the Maharashtra Disaster Management Department, six people have lost their lives in rain and flood-related incidents across the state in the last 24 hours.
Transport Services Affected, Trains Rescheduled
While the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) stated that local train services on the central, western, and harbour lines, as well as BEST bus services, were running smoothly as of Wednesday morning, there have been reports of train delays and reschedulings. Earlier in the day, local train services on the Central Railway’s harbour line resumed at 3 a.m. after water on the tracks had receded.
The continuous heavy rainfall has also impacted long-distance train services. Several trains departing from CSMT (Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus) have been rescheduled:
- The CSMT–Chennai Central service, originally scheduled for 12:45 pm, has been pushed to 4:40 pm.
- The Antodaya Express to Gorakhpur, which was to depart at 1:30 pm, is now set to leave at 5:15 pm.
- The CSMT–Howrah Duronto Express, scheduled for 5:15 pm, will now depart after midnight on August 21 at 12:15 am.
The IMD has issued an orange alert for Mumbai for the remainder of the day, but has predicted that the intensity of the rainfall will decrease from Thursday, offering some relief to the city.