Unpredicted rainfall batters Mumbai for 2 days
Mumbai woke up to heavy rain and waterlogged streets over two days, catching everyone off guard.
The weather department didn't see it coming at first—no alerts were issued until moderate showers hit, leading to a 'yellow alert' on July 15.
Things escalated quickly, with an 'orange alert' by July 16 as the downpour got heavier.
Thankfully, the IMD now says only light to moderate rain is expected till July 20, so no major floods are on the cards for now.
Why the sudden downpour was hard to predict
The sudden downpour happened because a low-pressure system over Rajasthan turned into a depression and mixed with an offshore trough near Raigad.
According to weather watcher Athreya Shetty, these changes were tough to predict since offshore troughs can develop super fast—especially with Mumbai's tricky coastal weather.
Some areas like Ghatkopar saw over 80mm of rain in just a short span, pushing the IMD to send out urgent nowcast warnings.
Even so, most Mumbaikars were still caught off guard by just how intense things got.