IMD issues orange alert for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for 4-5 days from August 24 onwards

Mumbai: Mumbai and its neighbouring Thane and Palghar districts and many other parts of Maharashtra are expected to receive heavy rainfall over the next four to five days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said.

The Met office on Friday issued an orange alert forecasting heavy to very heavy rainfall in Palghar, Thane, Mumbai, Raigad and Ratnagiri districts of Konkan from August 24 (Saturday) onwards.

“The India Meteorological Department has predicted heavy rainfall in some areas of Mumbai city and its suburbs in the next 3-4 hours. Citizens are advised to be cautious,” the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said in an SMS alert to citizens on Saturday morning.

The IMD has also issued an orange alert for the Pune and Satara districts of western Maharashtra and Amravati, Bhandara, Chandrapur and Gondia districts of Vidarbha for Saturday.

An orange alert warns of heavy rainfall exceeding 64.5 mm in 24 hours, potentially disrupting normal life and causing flooding in low-lying areas.

A yellow alert, predicting thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and light-to-moderate rainfall with gusty winds of 30-40 kmph speed, has been issued for Saturday in several districts barring a few in western Maharashtra and Marathwada.

The IMD has issued an orange alert for some districts of Konkan and western Maharashtra on August 25 and 26 as well.

A low-pressure area over northern parts of West Bengal and adjoining areas of northeast Jharkhand and another over east central Arabian Sea off the Maharashtra coast will bring rain to most parts of Maharashtra in the next 48 hours, an IMD scientist told PTI.