Mumbai rains: Flight operations hit; roads waterlogged, IMD predicts heavy showers in the next few hours

Mumbai and its suburbs woke today morning amid heavy downpour on July 12. The downpour caused waterlogging in several places in the city crippling traffic movement and affected flight operations. 

Intense spells of rain are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Mumbai during the next 3-4 hours, the IMD said in its forecast at 8.30 am. A high tide of 3.8 meters is also expected around 4 pm. 

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, heavy rainfall is expected to continue on July 13 as well. The IMD has issued an orange alert for the city and several parts of Maharashtra till July 15. 

The heavy downpour and thick cloud cover severely impacted flight operations in Mumbai and airlines advised passengers to check updated flight status. 

Budget carrier IndiGo took to X (formally Twitter) to alert passengers about the situation. “Flights are impacted due to heavy rains and air traffic congestion in #Mumbai. Do keep a tab on the flight status. Wishing you happy and safe travels!,” IndiGo wrote. 

Air India also alerted its passengers via a post on X. "Flights to and from Mumbai are getting affected due to heavy rains. Guests are advised to start early for the airport, as slow traffic and waterlogging may delay movement. Please check flight status before heading to the airport by clicking here: https://www.airindia.com/in/en/manage/flight-status.html," it wrote.

Road traffic movement was also hit by waterlogging and low visibility in many areas. Train services are running as per schedule. Visuals from APMC Market, Turbhe Mafco Market and King's Circle show residents wading through flooded streets. 

In the past 24 hours, the city witnessed an average rainfall of 93.16 mm, while the Eastern Suburbs reported 66.03 mm and the Western Suburbs reported 78.93 mm. 

The IMD’s latest forecast predicts that the city and suburbs are likely to receive moderate to heavy rain, with the possibility of very heavy rainfall in isolated places in the next 24 hours. 

The IMD has also issued an orange alert for Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts in Maharashtra’s Konkan region for today.  

“A gradual increase in rainfall activity is expected over parts of Maharashtra during the next 4-5 days. Widespread rainfall activity with heavy (64.5-115.5 mm) to very heavy (115.6-204.4 mm) rainfall is expected over Konkan and adjoining ghat areas of Madhya Maharashtra during this period. Thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are also very likely to occur over parts of Maharashtra during this period,” the IMD said.