Mumbai monsoon arrives late as lake catchment areas receive 89 mm rainfall in 24 hours

As per BMC data, the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai are at just 8.07 per cent as of Tuesday. Representation Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

In the last 24 hours until 6 am on Tuesday, the catchment areas of Mumbai's lakes received a total of 89 mm of rainfall. Middle Vaitarna received the highest rainfall at 55 mm, followed by Bhatsa at 16 mm of rainfall, and Modak Sagar received 13 mm of rainfall. Only Vihar and Tulsi lakes have remained dry. So far this year, the catchment areas have received a total of 108 mm of rainfall.

Weather station data

People enjoy rain showers in Bandra's Bandstand on Tuesday. PIC/SATEJ SHINDE

According to the IMD, the Santacruz weather station, whose readings are considered that of Mumbai, recorded 8.9 mm of rainfall, while the Colaba station recorded 35.6 mm of rainfall on Tuesday. Between June 1 and June 23, the Santacruz weather station has recorded 46 mm of rainfall, and the Colaba weather station has recorded 75.3 mm.

History of monsoon

Monsoon usually arrives in Mumbai around June 11, but the actual date can vary.

The onset timeline over the last few years:
£2026: June 23
£2025: May 26
£2024: June 9
£2023: June 25
£2022: June 11
In 2025, the monsoon arrived the earliest in 75 years.

Total water stock in lakes

As per the BMC data, the seven lakes supplying water to Mumbai are at just 8.07 per cent as on Tuesday. The combined useful live storage across all reservoirs stands at 1,16,808 million litres (ML) against the total capacity of 14,47,363 ML. On the same date last year, the lakes had 28.21 per cent storage.

Yellow alert for Mumbai

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai and surrounding districts, including Thane and Raigad, until Thursday, while a yellow alert has been issued for Palghar and an orange alert for Raigad for Wednesday. A yellow alert from the IMD indicates moderate to heavy rainfall.

City welcomes monsoon

Days after experiencing extreme heat, Mumbai on Tuesday witnessed the official onset of the southwest monsoon, nearly two weeks later than its normal arrival date. According to the IMD, between 8 am and 5 pm, the island city recorded 36 mm of rainfall, the eastern suburbs recorded six mm, and the western suburbs recorded 14 mm of rainfall.

The seven lakes

£Bhatsa
£Upper Vaitarna
£Middle Vaitarna
£Tansa
£Modak Sagar
£Vihar
£Tulsi