Mumbai weather update: IMD predicts cloudy city skies with one or two rain spells

The maximum temperature is likely to remain around 33 degrees Celsius. File pic

Mumbai is likely to witness a generally cloudy sky across the city and suburbs on Saturday, with one or two spells of light rain expected, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The maximum temperature is likely to remain around 33 degrees Celsius, while the minimum temperature is expected to be 27 degrees Celsius.

The city recorded minimal rainfall in the 24-hour period between 8 am on July 10 and 8 am on July 11. The average rainfall recorded was 0.16 mm in the city, 0.26 mm in the eastern suburbs, and 0.01 mm in the western suburbs.

Meanwhile, high tidal activity is expected today, with a 3.98-metre high tide at 9:28 am and another high tide of 3.52 metres at 8:43 pm.

The next low tides are expected at 3:06 pm (2.26 metres) and 3:17 am on July 12 (0.69 metres).

Heavy rain in short bursts signals new normal for city

Mumbai received about 60 per cent of its seasonal average rainfall between June 29 and July 6, when the city was under an orange and red alert. Colaba and Santacruz recorded 862.6 mm and 969 mm of rainfall in these eight days, respectively, highlighting a recent trend marked by an ‘erratic', ‘unpredictable', and ‘vulnerable' monsoon season, according to experts.

While experts have noted that extreme weather events have become more common in the past few years, intense spells of rain in a shorter duration are now occurring more frequently.

While this does not infer that the actual monsoon season is becoming shorter, analysis points to a trend where continuous, sustained, and balanced rainfall earlier spread more evenly throughout June to September is now concentrated into shorter durations with bouts of heavy rainfall. While rainfall was noticed to be more widespread throughout an area, patchy rainfall with unpredictable intensity is now more common.

According to Mahesh Palawat, vice-president, meteorology and climate change, Skymet Weather, higher-intensity rainfall in shorter durations and more patches of rainfall activity can be attributed to an overall rise in temperatures, which enhance the atmosphere's capacity to retain moisture.

For more Mumbai Monsoon coverage, including weather forecasts, rain updates, transport disruptions, lake levels and civic advisories, visit our Mumbai Monsoon page.