Cloudy and sweaty days ahead for Mumbai, says IMD

Thunderstorms are expected in Pune, Satara, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, Nandurbar and Dhule districts. Representation pic

Thunderstorms, accompanied by lightning, gusty winds, and "moderate to intense" spells of rainfall are likely to occur at isolated places in Pune, Satara, Sangli, Ahmednagar, Osmanabad, Nandurbar, and Dhule districts of Maharashtra on Friday, the IMD said on Thursday. As a result, officials said Mumbai will remain cloudy and quite humid for the next few days. The humidity level in the city was about 78 per cent on Thursday.

The forecast by the Mumbai and Nagpur regional meteorological centers comes at a time when the Indian Meteorological Department has issued "severe weather warnings" for the entire country except some areas in northwest India.

The regional centre in Mumbai has been warning people of thunderstorms all week. On Wednesday, it said that there were thunderstorms developing over parts of Maharashtra and that there was also a possibility of hail occurring at isolated places in Kolhapur and Satara districts.

IMD also said that there is likelihood of thunderstorms at some places in Konkan and interior Maharashtra, as well as of hailstorms in parts of Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining interiors. Satellite observations by IMD showed "convective" clouds developing over parts of MP, Pune, Satara, Sangli, Nashik, and other parts of Marathwada on Friday.

An IMD official told mid-day, "The severe weather warnings have been alerted because of a low-level trough. Mumbai will continue to remain partly cloudy but no rainfall has been predicted as of now." The official added that during such weather conditions, the humidity was likely to rise. "Mumbai has been quite humid in the last few days and is likely to become even more during the next few days."

78%
Humidity level in Mumbai on Thursday