IMD issues red alert for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Raigad amid heavy rain

THe republic of india Meteorological section (IMD) has issued a red river qui vive for bombay and the neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar and Raigad, forecasting intense spells of rain at isolated places over the next three hours and urging residents to take precautions.According to the IMD, the city and suburbs are likely to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places, with the possibility of extremely heavy rain at isolated locations during the day.The weather department has also warned of occasional gusty winds reaching speeds of 50-60 kmph.The IMD recorded 109.6 mm of rain at Santacruz Observatory and 90.2 mm at Colaba during the 24-hour period ending at 8 am. The cumulative seasonal rainfall up to July 3 has now reached 928.9 mm in Santacruz, accounting for 40.06 per cent of its annual average, while Colaba has recorded 870.9 mm, or 41.57 per cent of its annual average. The rainfall received so far this season is notably higher than that recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation’s (BMC) automatic weather stations, during the 24-hour period, the Island City received an average rainfall of 98.80 mm, while the Eastern and Western suburbs recorded 98.39 mm and 93.73 mm, respectively.In the Island City, Prabhadevi recorded the highest rainfall at 141.8 mm, followed by Matunga with 135.2 mm, Dongri with 120.8 mm, Wadala with 118.28 mm and Lower Parel with 118 mm. In the Western Suburbs, Khar recorded the highest rainfall at 150.6 mm, while Bandra received 146 mm, Santacruz 125 mm and Juhu 120.8 mm. In the Eastern Suburbs, Ghatkopar recorded 143 mm, followed by Mankhurd with 134.2 mm and Chembur with 127.6 mm.The city is expected to witness a high tide of 4.26 metres at 2.50 pm on Saturday, July 4, followed by a low tide of 1.66 metres at 8.56 pm. On Sunday, high tides are forecast at 2.52 am, measuring 3.60 metres, and again at 3.22 pm, when the sea level is expected to reach 4.19 metres.The civic body said there were no active complaints of waterlogging anywhere in the city or suburbs as of Saturday morning. Road traffic and suburban train services on both the Central and Western Railway lines were operating normally as of 9 am.However, the heavy rain and gusty weather led to several minor incidents across Mumbai. The BMC received 91 complaints of tree and branch falls, with the highest number of incidents reported from the Western Suburbs at 50, followed by 21 in the Eastern Suburbs and 20 in the Island City. Clearing operations are currently underway.The city also recorded 30 incidents of short circuits, including 20 in the Island City, seven in the Eastern Suburbs and three in the Western Suburbs. Relevant electrical authorities were informed and emergency teams were deployed to address the situations.Additionally, there were 19 reports of partial house or wall collapses across Mumbai, including six in the Island City, ten in the Eastern Suburbs and three in the Western Suburbs. Emergency assistance was immediately dispatched to all affected locations.Meanwhile, the total useful water stock in Mumbai’s seven lakes—Upper Vaitarna, Modak Sagar, Tansa, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Vihar and Tulsi—stood at 136,137 million litres as of the morning of July 4, 2026. This is higher than the 124,343 million litres available on the same date in 2024, but significantly lower than the 734,562 million litres recorded during the corresponding period in 2025.