IMD issues season’s first red alert as Mumbai braces for heavier rain

3 min readMumbaiJul 3, 2026 08:44 PM IST

The unabated showers triggered waterlogging across several pockets of the Mumbai Metropolitan region. (Express photo by Ganesh Shirsekhar)

Heavy showers continued to sweep Mumbai and its neighbouring districts of Thane, Raigad and Palghar on Friday morning, with rain slated to further intensify over the weekend as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded season’s first red alert warning in Mumbai, starting Saturday.

For the fifth consecutive day of the week, pockets of the city received over 100 mm of rainfall within 24 hours. While the city remained relatively dry, receiving only 18 mm of rain between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm at the IMD observatories, showers gathered pace after evening.

Data furnished by the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) showed that between 8 am on Thursday and 6 am on Friday, the heaviest rainfall was recorded in Mandavi that received 150 mm, followed by Malabar Hill (145 mm), Fort (140 mm), Andheri (136 mm), Versova (129 mm), Powai (124 mm) and Bhandup (117 mm).

The unabated showers triggered waterlogging across several pockets of the Mumbai Metropolitan region.

According to the weather bureau, rain activity is slated to intensify from Saturday with the India Meteorological Department sounding a red alert across the Mumbai Metropolitan region (MMR). In Mumbai, the IMD has sounded a red alert in Mumbai, Thane and Palghar districts between Saturday and Monday morning while Raigad district is slated to remain under a red alert until Sunday morning.

Meteorologists have attributed the intense spells to a combination of active weather systems including an off-shore trough, shear zone as well as a low pressure area over northeast Bay of Bengal which is likely to become more well marked over the next two days.

IMD has stated the possibility of heavy to extremely heavy rain in Mumbai till July 5, following which showers are likely to become less intense. An orange alert is issued in the likelihood of 115.6 mm to 204.4 mm rain within 24 hours, while a red alert is sounded amid the possibility of extremely heavy rainfall above 204.4 mm within a day.

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Meanwhile, heavy downpour continued throughout Friday with the IMD’s Santacruz station recording 51 mm between 8.30 am and 5.30 pm while the Colaba coastal observatory receiving nearly 37 mm rainfall.

Spurred by heavy showers over the past few days, the water stock in the seven lakes that supply Mumbai’s potable water continued to soar. On Friday morning, the water stock in the seven lakes touched 1.29 lakh million litres, or 8.93 per cent of the total capacity. Between Thursday and Friday morning, the heaviest spells were recorded over Tulsi Lake at 164 mm, followed by 137 mm of rain over Vihar Lake.

Nayonika Bose is a Senior Correspondent with The Indian Express’ Mumbai bureau. While in the early stages of her career, her focused reporting on local governance and community welfare already demonstrates clear Expertise and Trustworthiness in covering essential civic issues impacting Mumbai's residents.

Expertise & Authority (E-E-A-T)

Specialized Focus: Nayonika's reporting is dedicated to civic and community issues, providing readers with highly relevant, ground-level information about the functionality and administration of India's largest metropolitan area.

Core Coverage Areas: Her articles highlight a strong focus on the fundamental quality of life and public safety in Mumbai, including:

Civic Infrastructure: Reports on critical failures and initiatives related to public works, such as the recurring problem of unauthorized building collapses in Navi Mumbai, the construction of new infrastructure projects (like the Dahisar-Bhayandar Link Road and the Mahalaxmi cable-stayed bridge), and the maintenance of essential city services (e.g., manhole cover theft).

Urban Governance & Crisis Management: Provides detailed coverage of the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation's (BMC) response to major crises, particularly during the monsoon (e.g., heavy rainfall, water cuts, and public health concerns like dengue and malaria) and large-scale public safety incidents (e.g., the hoarding collapse fallout).

Community Welfare & Rights: Reports on key social issues, including the financial aid scheme for persons with disabilities, the struggles of Mumbai's hawkers protesting eviction drives, and the dangers faced by workers due to the continuation of manual scavenging in water tanks.

Cultural & Heritage Reporting: Covers significant community stories, including the restoration of British-era fountains and the history of institutions like the 126-year-old Chinchpokli cemetery, showing a breadth of interest beyond pure administration.

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