Mumbai receives first pre-monsoon showers, temperatures and humidity rise

People enjoy the first rain in Wadala

Mumbai recorded its first pre-monsoon showers on Sunday morning. Light-to-moderate rainfall was recorded in areas of Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC), Santacruz, and Andheri in the Western suburbs and at Ghatkopar, Powai, Mankhurd, and Chembur in the Eastern suburbs, taking the total average rainfall this month to 9 mm.

Amid pre-monsoon showers, Mumbai's relative humidity shot up to 81 per cent, as per the Colaba observatory, with maximum temperatures of 35.8°C, and 86 per cent as per the Santacruz observatory, with a maximum temperature of 34.8°C.

Departure from 2025

Water accumulates on a road in Wadala following showers. Pics/Atul Kamble

Last year, Mumbai recorded its wettest May in 107 years, with the arrival of the southwest monsoon by May 26, 2025 - the earliest onset recorded in the city. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the previous record for the earliest onset was May 29, recorded in 1956, 1962, and 1971. Last May, the Colaba and Santacruz observatories recorded 509 mm and 395 mm of rainfall in May alone, respectively.

Sunday's showers

>> Mumbai's island city recorded light rain, up to 0.61 mm

>> In the eastern suburbs, Chembur recorded 27 mm of rainfall, Mankhurd recorded 22 mm, and Ghatkopar recorded 11 mm

>> In the western suburbs, BKC recorded 22 mm, Santacruz 17 mm, and the area surrounding the Gazdarbund pumping station in Andheri recorded 12 mm

>> Other parts of Maharashtra also received light rain, including Ratnagiri (1.8 mm), Nagpur (4.5 mm), Chandrapur (2 mm), Parbhani, and Mahabaleshwar (0.4 mm each).

Green days

All 31 days of May reported AQI in the green, ie good and satisfactory categories, making the month the best month in terms of air quality, according to the Central Pollution Control Board database, with the primary pollutant being carbon monoxide (primarily from vehicle exhaust)
>> The AQI was under 50 (good) on 12 days
>> On Sunday, Mumbai recorded an AQI of 51 in the ‘Satisfactory' category
>> The highest AQI, 83 (satisfactory), was recorded on May 8

Seasonal rainfall

While Mumbai recorded no rainfall in March and April, several parts of Maharashtra, such as Kolhapur (109.9mm), Pune (107.1 mm), and Satara (102.1 mm), have received a good amount of rainfall since March.