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The India Meteorological Department has put out a red alert saying there will be very heavy rain in Mumbai on Wednesday. This comes after five straight days of heavy rain that has badly affected the city, leading to major flooding, stopping train services, changing flight routes, and requiring people to leave their homes in areas that are close to water. 

On Tuesday evening, 782 passengers were saved from two very crowded Monorail trains that got stuck on the elevated tracks between stations. The event caused a lot of fear, with over a dozen people saying they felt like they couldn't breathe and some even passing out because the power and air conditioning stopped working. One passenger required hospitalization but was reported to be in stable condition.

 

The Mithi River's water level rose dangerously close to its danger mark. Despite the ongoing rainfall, the IMD has predicted that the intensity of the downpour will decrease starting Thursday. In light of the weather conditions, the University of Mumbai has postponed all examinations that were scheduled for Wednesday.

 

#WATCH | Maharashtra: Normal life affected in Mumbai as several parts of the city remain waterlogged following incessant heavy rainfall. Visuals from Nalasopara West. pic.twitter.com/F8V47fmFqE

— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2025

 

Here are 10 key updates on the situation:

• IMD Red Alert and Forecast: The IMD has issued a red "nowcast" warning for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and Ratnagiri districts for Wednesday, indicating intense to very intense rainfall accompanied by strong winds of 40-50 kmph, with gusts potentially reaching 60 kmph. The forecast anticipates heavy to very heavy rainfall, which is expected to cause waterlogging and traffic disruptions. The IMD's post on X stated, "#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." However, officials have said that the rainfall intensity is expected to lessen from Thursday. Raigad district remains under a red alert, while Thane, Palghar, and Ratnagiri are on orange alerts.
  
  
• Mumbai Local Trains: According to news agency PTI, local train services on the Central Railway's harbour line were restored by 3 am on Wednesday, after being suspended for more than 15 hours. All public transport services in Mumbai, including local trains, resumed normal operations on Wednesday morning. Swanil Nila, Chief Public Relations Officer of the Central Railway, stated that the harbour line services were fully restored after water receded from the tracks. The services had been suspended around 11:15 am on Tuesday. Western Railway trains are currently experiencing delays of up to 35 minutes, while Central Railway services are running 45 minutes late. Main line operations had resumed on Tuesday at 7:30 pm, but the harbour line, connecting Navi Mumbai to south Mumbai, remained suspended past midnight as some sections had up to 15 inches of water on the tracks.
  
  

#WATCH | Mumbai | Crowd of passengers wait at Lokmanya Tilak railway station as train services affected in the city

They say trains have been delayed by 6-8 hours following incessant rainfall in the city https://t.co/hnuFOFhfYE pic.twitter.com/pExmXo1xgC

— ANI (@ANI) August 20, 2025

• Long-Distance Train Diversions: Several long-distance trains were either short-terminated or rerouted. The Jodhpur–Dadar Express was halted at Borivali, and its return journey started from there instead of Dadar. Other trains, like the Ahmedabad–Pune Duronto and Jaipur–Pune Express, were diverted via Surat–Udhna–Jalgaon, leading to longer travel times for passengers.
  
  
• University Exams Postponed: The University of Mumbai announced late on Tuesday that it was postponing all examinations scheduled for August 20 for both the Summer 2025 and Winter 2025 sessions. The university cited student safety concerns due to the heavily disrupted public transport system. New dates for the exams will be announced soon.
  
  
• Record Rainfall: Mumbai got more than 200 mm of rain in just 11 hours on Tuesday, leading to heavy flooding across the city. Streets in places like Kurla, Dadar, Andheri, and Sion were flooded, which made it really hard for people to get around. The heavy rain caused walls to collapse, trees to fall, and power cuts in different areas of the city.
  
  
• Mithi River Rises: The Mithi River's water level went up to 3.9 meters, which is very close to the dangerous 4-meter level. This led to the quick move of people living in unsafe slum areas in Kurla's Kranti Nagar. With help from the NDRF and local volunteers, over 400 people, including those living in temporary shelters, were taken to safer places.
  
  
• Flight Disruptions: Heavy rain caused problems for flights at the city's airport. The poor visibility and wet runways made it hard for planes to land and take off, leading to major delays and cancellations. Mumbai faced disruption on Tuesday when at least eight flights were redirected, and many more experienced significant delays. Terminals got really crowded as airlines tried to rebook flights and help travelers who were stuck.

 

Also Read: Mumbai rains: Schools, colleges shut as IMD issues red alert

• Monorail Rescue: The Mumbai Metropolitan Region Development Authority (MMRDA) reported that the Monorail's power failure was due to overcrowding, as the system is not designed to handle a sudden rush of passengers seeking alternative transport during the downpour. A total of 582 passengers were rescued from a Monorail train stuck between Mysore Colony and Bhakti Park using snorkel ladders, as the train could not be towed. Another 200 passengers were evacuated from a different train that was successfully towed back to the nearby Wadala station.
  
  
• 'Fake' School Closure Message: The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) issued a clarification stating that a viral message claiming schools and colleges in the city would remain closed on Wednesday due to the red alert was false. The civic body confirmed it had not issued any school closure orders for August 20.
  
  
• Rain in Other Parts of Maharashtra: Other parts of Maharashtra, including the Konkan, Marathwada, and Western Maharashtra regions, also experienced heavy rain for the fourth consecutive day. This has brought the state-wide death toll from rain-related incidents to 24. On Tuesday, five deaths were reported: three in Nanded, and one each in Mumbai and Beed district. Over 1,550 people in four districts have been moved to safer locations. In the Konkan region, rivers in Ratnagiri and Raigad districts have reached danger levels, and state authorities are managing controlled water discharge to prevent them from overflowing their banks.

 

Also Read: Mumbai heavy rain: Govt offices shut, advises work-from-home