Mumbai Rains: Heavy showers lash the city, expect traffic jams,train delays

Pic/Sayyed Sameer Abedi

Late last evening and early Wednesday morning, Mumbai saw a spate of heavy showers with thunder and lightning that left the Andheri subway flooded, leading to massive traffic snarls.

The heavy rains come close on the heels of the MET department's prediction that the weather was likely to improve from Wednesday morning.

On September 11, the city experienced the hottest day in a decade and as per some IMD sources, the city witnessed a phenomenon known as the "September heat" as the temperature increased to 35 degree Celsius, which is 5 degree above normal. Adding to the discomfort of Mumbaikars was the fact that the humidity had shot up from 80 per cent to 87 per cent.
IMD official Shubhangi Bhute said, "The sudden and extreme heat conditions will not persist. The rise in temperature is due to very strong winds from the east. The heat waves are now allowing the westerly winds to settle in. So, the bad weather conditions could last another day, but the temperature will gradually decrease."

Also read: Mumbai Rains: Thunderstorms may hit parts of city, predicts weather bureau

Bhute said the change in wind pattern is also to be blamed for the rise in smog across the city and some of the adjoining areas. "Dust particles and pollutants, which remain unabsorbed by the Arabian Sea, are collecting close to the ground level. It's another factor that's responsible for the rise in humidity."

Bhute, however, added that the monsoon is not over yet. "Monsoon isn't withdrawing yet. Mumbai can expect some more days of cool weather."

What you can expect today:
As per the Regional Meteriological Centre, you can expect a thunder shower towards the evening /night today.

Mumbai Traffic:
There is a little bit of water logging in places like Andheri which has led to a few traffic snarls. Apart from that, last night's torrential showers has also led to a few accidents in Navi Mumbai's Vashi area which has led to a traffic jam in the area.

Expect delays of about 15 minutes on the roads today. As per Google maps, the traffic is likely to get worse as the day progresses.

Local trains:
The Harbour line and Central line experienced a delay of about 10 minutes this morning. There have been no delays along the Western Line. The Trans Harbour line is also running late by 10 minutes.

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