November rains: Brace for wet 72 hours

Mumbaikars were caught unawares on Monday as unexpected showers greeted the city and disrupted several services.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) blamed the south-westerly winds from the Bay of Bengal for the sudden change in weather.

“The November, December and January easterly wave propagates from the Bay of Bengal to the Arabian Sea. Because of the wave and moisture from the Bay of Bengal, the city, suburbs and interior Maharashtra experience rains,” RV Sharma, deputy DGM of IMD Mumbai, said. “If land heating continues, there will be showers and gusty winds today too.”

Rainfall is expected in the next 72 hours in southern India, Maharashtra and parts of Gujarat and Rajasthan because of a fast-developing, low pressure area in the Bay of Bengal. Medha Kole, IMD’s director, weather forecasting said the other complementary factor was the formation of a large trough stretching from the Lakshadweep Islands to the South Konkan coast.
She, however, said that the wet spell on Monday should not be confused with the monsoon.

Traffic moved at a snail’s pace in several parts of the city because of the rains. Railway services were affected too.

“There were traffic jams at Suman Nagar junction, Chedda Nagar junction, Chakala and JJ flyover due to heavy rains,” said an official from the traffic control room. The trans-harbour Thane-Vashi railway line was shut for an hour after a tree fell because of the heavy wind. Trains on the main line were delayed due to poor visibility.

“Services on the Western Railway were normal except for a stray incident of a spark emerging from a pantograph of a local train at Dahisar,” said Sharat Chandrayan, WR chief spokesperson. “Trains in other sections were delayed due to poor visibility,” said SC Mudgerikar, CR chief spokesperson.

Though the exact number is not known, trees were uprooted at several places. “There were too many phone calls. We are yet to figure out just how many trees are uprooted,” said a fire department official. The rains, however, had no impact on air traffic.