Mumbai experienced widespread disruption on Monday as the southwest monsoon arrived 12 days ahead of schedule, triggering torrential rain that caused waterlogging, disrupted air and rail services, and prompted advisories from authorities urging citizens to stay indoors.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a ‘yellow’ alert for heavy rainfall across Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts, while Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg remained under an ‘orange’ alert for very heavy showers. According to officials, thunderstorms accompanied by strong winds reaching speeds of 50–60 kmph are likely in some districts of Maharashtra over the next few hours.
Overnight and early morning rain submerged several low-lying areas in Mumbai, including Kurla, Sion, Dadar and Parel, with visuals of vehicles navigating knee-deep water. The city’s Nariman Point received 40 mm of rain between 6 am and 7 am, while Grant Road recorded 36 mm, Colaba 31 mm, and Byculla 21 mm, as per the IMD.
Also read: Heavy rains bring relief across Haryana, Punjab
Air travel was severely impacted. SpiceJet issued a statement saying, “Due to bad weather (heavy rain) in Mumbai (BOM), all departures/arrivals and their consequential flights may get affected. Passengers are requested to keep a check on their flight status.”
Similarly, Air India advised, “Rain and thunderstorms are impacting flight operations in Mumbai. To ensure a smooth travel experience, we encourage our passengers to check their flight status before heading to the airport.”
Suburban train services also experienced delays of 5–10 minutes due to waterlogged tracks. Services have since resumed normal operations, officials confirmed.
The Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has urged residents to avoid venturing outdoors unless necessary. A civic statement noted that 96 buildings deemed dangerous during the monsoon season have been identified in the city, and around 3,100 residents have been relocated to safer accommodations. The Maharashtra Housing and Area Development Authority (MHADA) is coordinating efforts with the BMC.
State authorities are monitoring the situation closely. Maharashtra Deputy Chief Minister Ajit Pawar visited rain-hit areas in Baramati, while Chief Minister Devendra Fadnavis and Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde directed all security and civic agencies to remain on high alert.
Maharashtra sees earliest monsoon onset in 35 years
The IMD confirmed that the monsoon had officially arrived over Maharashtra on Sunday — its earliest onset in 35 years. It had reached Kerala on Saturday, nearly a week before the standard onset date of 1 June.
“In 1990, southwest monsoon made onset over Maharashtra on May 20,” said IMD scientist Sushma Nair.
According to the weather office, the monsoon has already progressed into parts of the Arabian Sea, Karnataka, Goa, Maharashtra, north Bay of Bengal, as well as parts of Mizoram, Manipur and Nagaland.
“Conditions are favourable for further advance into some more parts of central Arabian Sea, more parts of Maharashtra including Mumbai, Karnataka including Bengaluru, some parts of Andhra Pradesh, remaining parts of Tamil Nadu, more parts of west-central and North Bay of Bengal and some more parts of North Eastern states during next three days,” the IMD said.
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