Mumbai on RED ALERT after heavy rains, floodwater suspends metro operations; causes traffic snarls, waterlogging

Mumbai rains: The Regional Meteorological Centre issued a red alert for Mumbai, predicting heavy showers during the day. The maximum temperature is expected to settle around 31 degrees Celsius while the minimum will hover around 23 degrees Celsius on May 27.

“Extremely heavy rainfall &Thunderstorm with lightning and gusty winds at isolated places,” Mumbai weather forecast states, which will remain valid till 8:30 AM today. For the coming two days a yellow alert is place as thunderstorm activity is likely to accompany heavy rain. Notably, a red alert is also in place in nearby districts, including Ratnagiri, Thane, Raigad and Sindhudurg.

Meanwhile, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Maharashtra today.

The Southwest Monsoon brought early showers on May 26, this is remarkably earlier than the usual monsoon onset, which used to be around 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,” IMD said.

Heavy showers on May 26 brought the daily life of Mumbai residents to a standstill as streets and low-lying areas were inundated and waterlogging was rampant, disrupting vehicle movement and causing traffic snarls.

Traffic congestion due to waterlogging was reported in several places including Narayan Dabholakar Road, Worli Naka A.B Road, King Circle Bridge (Matunga), Elphiston Bridge, Freeway South Bound, Avatar Singh Bedi, Hindmata Junction, Powai Plaza (Sakinaka), Ram Nagar Subway and Andheri Subway, among others. 

Mumbai Metro

Mumbai Metro Rail Corporation (MMRC) in a post on X stated, “Restoration work is in progress at #AcharyaAtreChowk station following disruption caused by seepage ingress.”

MMRC had to suspend operations after flooding was reported at the underground Acharya Atre Chowk station following sudden and intense rainfall. MMRC informed that train operations on Worli to Aarey JVLR corridor are functioning as normal.

Reaction to heavy May 26 heavy precipitation, Maharashtra Deputy CM Eknath Shinde said, “Such heavy rainfall has not occurred in decades. Around 15 days ago, Mumbai and its surrounding areas witnessed intense rains like never before. We have a 24/7 response system in place to ensure that people receive timely assistance. A total of 66 pumps and sensors have been deployed across drains, and we have already identified areas prone to waterlogging,” PTI reported.

He further informed that authorities are monitoring the situation from the control room through CCTV cameras and 13 dedicated hotlines have been set up to provide urgent help.