The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued red and orange alert for several parts of Maharashtra due to the formation of a low-pressure system over east-central Arabian Sea off the coast of south Konkan and Goa.
Increasing rainfall activity will be driven by the low-pressure system over the East Central Arabian Sea off the North Karnataka-Goa coasts, which is likely to intensify into a depression and bring intense rainfall across the Konkan coast and other parts of Maharashtra. While no cyclone has formed yet, the developing depression could potentially evolve into a cyclonic storm depending on the atmospheric and oceanic conditions in the coming days.
Red alert in Goa
The IMD issued a red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, for Goa till May 25, Sunday. On Thursday, Konkan and Goa also experienced rainfall, with Panjim (North Goa) recording 9 cm.
Heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected continue in parts of the west coast, including Konkan, Goa, Karnataka, and Kerala, over the next few days.
Goa chief minister Pramod Sawant said in a post on X, “The State Disaster Management Authority in the prevailing severe weather conditions is active with its 24×7 Control Rooms in both North and South Goa to monitor the situation and provide assistance.”
Rainfall alert in these areas as well
Orange alert for Mumbai, red for Raigad, Ratnagiri: The weather agency issued an orange alert for Mumbai on May 23 and 24, warning of heavy to very heavy rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and gusty winds reaching speeds of 50 to 60 kilometres per hour at isolated places. A red alert, warning of extremely heavy rainfall, was in place for Raigad and Ratnagiri districts on Friday.
Thane, Palghar: The orange alert warning was also applies to surrounding regions like Thane, Palghar, Sindhudurg as well as ghats of Pune and Satara. On Friday, Mumbai received light showers and the sky remained cloudy with IMD forecasting heavy rain.
A massive traffic jam was reported on the Bhiwandi-Wada road in Maharashtra’s Thane district as heavy rainfall damaged the road surface. The downpour created large potholes and significantly slowed traffic movement, with the situation further aggravated by ongoing road construction work.
Delhi: For the national capital, the IMD forecast a partly cloudy sky on Friday with light to very light rain accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning. Gusty winds with 40-50 kmph speeds will blow late evening and night during thunderstorms and generate dusty winds. Wind speeds might also reach 60 kmph in select locations.
(With agency inputs)