IMD predicts thundershowers till Sunday

Mumbai: Several Mumbaikars were caught off guard as the city experienced incessant rain on Friday evening. The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) said unexpected rains were caused by cyclone Maha and also issued predicted cloudy skies in Mumbai city and suburbs for the next 24 hours, while cloudy skies with the possibility of lig-ht rain and thundershowers for the next 48 hours.

“Moderate rains in Mumbai during the day picked up pace by the evening including suburbs. Heavy spells were recorded at few places,” said an IMD official. “Satellite and radar images indicating a cloud patch over North Konkan including Mumbai, Navi Mumbai and Thane,” tweeted K.S. Hosalikar, deputy director general, IMD Mumbai.

Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency stated, “These rains have occurred due to none other than cyclone Maha, which is currently over east central Arabian Sea about 610 km south of Veraval, 590 km northwest of Mangalore and 410 km west of Goa.”  

Due to the prevailing rains and cloudy skies, the city’s weather is likely to remain pleasant, while the day temperatures are expected to dip.

On Friday, Mumbai recorded maximum temperature at 34.8 degrees celsius, almost two degrees lesser than earlier this week. The minimum temperature was recorded at 25.6 degrees celsius.

On Friday, Maha cyclo-ne intensified into severe cyclonic storm and is centred over east-central Ara-bian Sea near Lakshad-weep Islands, according to IMD. “Cyclone Maha is likely to move in the north-westward direction in the next 24 hours and then west-northwestward during November 2-4. It may intensify into a very severe cyclonic storm during the next 24 hours,” it stated.

There have been four cyclones from the beginning of monsoon this year. First it was cyclone Vayu which formed during the onset of monsoons, cyclone Hikka during the withdrawal phase and then Kyarr last week and now cyclone Maha.