Wettest ‘May’ in 125 years? Delhi, Mumbai, Pune braces for more rain, thunderstorm as IMD issues yellow alert warning

Delhi Regional Meteorological Centre issued a yellow alert for the city today, warning against possibility of more rains and thunderstorm on May 26. At the same time a yellow alert is also in place for the financial capital - Mumbai and Pune. The rainfall warning will remain effective in Mumbai until May 28, according to Regional Meteorological Centre.

“Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, heavy rainfall & gusty winds (40-50) at isolated places,” Mumbai Met agency states. For nearby districts of Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, an orange alert is in place today.

The Mumbai Meteorological Centre issued a nowcast warning at 7:00 AM stating, “Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning and intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 kmph very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai during next 3-4 hours.”

Mumbai residents woke up to heavy showers on Monday morning, as can be seen in the visuals from Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus.

Delhi rain

In the early hours of Sunday, a massive 81.4 mm of rain in just a few hours was recorded. This month marks wettest May on record since 1901, as per the India Meteorological Department (IMD). This month's cumulative rainfall crossed 186.4 mm, surpassing the previous May 2008 record of 165 mm, PTI reported. On May 2, the city registered 77 mm of rain.

Monday's maximum temperature is expected settle 4-6 notches below normal, around 34-36 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, the temperature will most likely settle 3-5 notches below the May average, around 23-25 degrees Celsius.

Waterlogging and traffic congestion brought the life to a standstill in the national capital on May 25. Delhi International Airport Limited (DIAL) issued a statement yesterday in the wake of heavy rains, informing about disruptions of flight operations.

“Conditions are favourable for further advance of Southwest Monsoon into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, some more parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Karnataka including Bengaluru, some parts of Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, some more parts of west central & North Bay of Bengal and some more parts of Northeastern states during next 3 days,” the IMD said in its weather report dated May 25.

Pune rains

Flood-like situation occurred in several places across Pune after heavy rains lashed Baramati and Indapur tehsils on Sunday. To deal with the difficult waterlogging situation Pune-Solapur highway near Indapur was shut and National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) deployed specialised teams to rescue families stuck in their inundated houses. “Thunderstorm accompanied with lightning, heavy rainfall & gusty winds (40-50) at isolated places," the Met department said.