Rain eases in Maharashtra, October heat sets in; yellow alert for Konkan, central Maharashtra
With the monsoon beginning its withdrawal, rain has weakened across Maharashtra and the sun is harsher, though light showers are forecast for Thursday.
With September ending and October beginning, Maharashtra's weather is changing quickly. Rain has begun to weaken across the state, so the heat of the sun has increased and signs of 'October heat' are appearing. According to the latest India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast, the monsoon's withdrawal has begun, yet light rain with thunder and lightning is forecast in parts of Konkan and central Maharashtra on Thursday, October 1.
Conditions have been set for the monsoon to withdraw from parts of Maharashtra along with north India. The southwest monsoon winds have already withdrawn from the national capital Delhi, most of Rajasthan, Punjab and Haryana, and parts of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh. On Tuesday the monsoon's withdrawal line stayed where it was. The monsoon will withdraw from some more parts of the country in the next 2 to 3 days.
Meanwhile, the intensity of the low-pressure area active over north Myanmar and south-east Bangladesh is now declining. Cyclonic winds persist over the east-central Arabian Sea at a height of 1.5 to 4.5 km. Cyclonic winds are blowing around 1.5 km over north Tamil Nadu. A trough of low pressure in the air also extends from south Karnataka to the Gulf of Mannar at a height of 900 metres above sea level.
With the rain taking a break, the afternoon sun has become much stronger in the state. In the 24 hours to Wednesday, September 30 morning, Malegaon recorded the state's highest temperature at 37.4 degrees C. The lowest was 17.7 degrees C at Mahabaleshwar. In the same period, Tasgaon in Sangli district of central Maharashtra recorded 50 mm of rain.
The IMD said thunder and rain are possible at some places in Konkan and central Maharashtra on Thursday. Light to moderate showers are possible in Mumbai, Palghar, Sindhudurg, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar and Beed districts. Rain is also likely in interior parts of Marathwada.
The IMD has issued a yellow alert for Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur, Kolhapur ghat areas, Sangli, Satara, Satara ghat areas, Pune, Solapur, Ahilyanagar and Nashik. The rest of the state, including Vidarbha and Marathwada, is expected to see cloud cover, alternating sun and shade, and rising heat.
In Mumbai, the eastern and western suburbs received more rain than the island city, while south Mumbai saw only light showers. In the eastern suburbs, the MCMCR centre at Powai recorded 59.4 mm. Reports also put rainfall at 53 mm at the Paspoli Powai municipal school, 44.4 mm at the Building Proposal Office in Vikhroli West, 35.8 mm at the Bhandup S Ward office and 33.6 mm at the Tagore Nagar municipal school in Vikhroli.
The monsoon may withdraw fully from Maharashtra in the next few days. According to the IMD forecast, Gujarat, Konkan, Goa, central Maharashtra and Marathwada will see scattered to isolated rain until October 2. If the retreating monsoon stays active, people may get some relief from the rising humidity.
