MUMBAI: Relentless downpours have pushed Mumbai’s August rainfall past 1,000 mm by Wednesday morning, nearly double the city’s monthly average of 560.8 mm — with 11 days still left in the month. Experts warn that climate change is amplifying monsoon extremes, driving unprecedented wet spells.
Between August 15 and 20, the city recorded a staggering 875.1 mm, with three of those five days logging more than 200 mm. On Tuesday alone, the Santacruz observatory measured 209 mm, breaching the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) “very heavy” category, while Colaba registered 107.4 mm. Neighborhoods such as Vikhroli (229.5 mm), Byculla (193.5 mm), Juhu (150 mm) and Bandra (137.5 mm) also saw triple-digit totals.
So far this season, Santacruz has logged 2,310.8 mm, surpassing its seasonal average of 2,101.8 mm, while Colaba has recorded 1,513.2 mm.
Although rainfall intensity eased on Wednesday, with only 16.2 mm in Santacruz and 4.6 mm in Colaba, the IMD has placed Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, and Palghar under a yellow alert for August 21, warning of heavy rain at isolated spots.
Climate scientists caution that warming oceans and shifting wind patterns are fueling such extremes. “While three-digit rainfall is not new to Mumbai, climate change acts like a steroid,” said Dr Raghu Murtugudde, retired IIT-Bombay professor. He explained that a northward shift of monsoon winds, driven by warming over the Middle East and natural variability, is pushing Arabian Sea moisture into the northern Western Ghats at unprecedented levels.
