Mumbai weatherman

MUMBAI: The past weekend saw maximum temperatures soar up to 35 degrees,however, weathermen have forecasted a dip in temperatures by the coming weekend in Mumbai and adjoining areas. On Monday, Santa Cruz observatory recorded minimum temperatures of 21.6 degrees which was three degrees above normal. Meanwhile, the Colaba observatory recorded minimum temperatures of 22.6 degrees which was 1.6 degrees above normal. Maximum temperatures slipped from 35 degrees recorded by the IMD IMD officials said that currently south easterly winds prevail in lower levels over the region however with northerly winds expected to take over, minimum temperatures may drop by the weekend. The lowest minimum temperatures recorded in the month of December last year was 15 degrees. The all-time lowest minimum temperature recorded was off 10.6 degrees recorded in December 1949.

On Wednesday morning, as the city prepared to be lashed by 110-125 kmph winds, weatherman Rajesh Kapadia (pictured), who runs the popular blog called the Vagaries of Weather, knew better. Kapadia had predicted that the city could expect moderate to heavy rains, with strong, gusty winds with speeds of about 60 to 65 kmph – and that things would peak between 12 pm and 6 pm. As it played out on Wednesday, the weather station at Colaba recorded a maximum crest of 70 kmph, while Santacruz airport recorded winds of 60 kmph. Even at those speeds, the cyclone did wreak havoc, but its impact wasn’t nearly as devastating as we would have seen had the eye of the storm moved over the city, instead of over 150 km away at Alibaug. In fact, by late afternoon, the winds and rain had subsided, just as Kapadia had predicted. A retired businessman and selftaught meteorologist, Kapadia said the reason Mumbai averted the disaster was that another ‘system’ – a trough, or an elongated region of relatively low atmospheric pressure – had already formed in North India about five days ago. The resistance the trough created, diverted the low-pressure system, which was developing into Cyclone Nisarga, inland. Adam Sobel, too, tweeted on Mumbai’s lucky escape. Sobel, author of Storm Surge, said Cyclone Nisarga “had strengthened rapidly in the 12 hours before landfall, but then hit the coast a bit south. If the strengthening had started a bit earlier and the storm had turned a bit further north, things ...

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai. The weatherman forecasted heavy to very heavy rainfall on September 13 and 15, heavy rainfall on September 14 and 16, and moderate rain on September 17. Civic authorities and disaster management personnel have been put on alert across the city. The city has been witnessing light to moderate and often heavy rainfall in the past few days. According to the MeT department data, Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded 93.4 mm of rainfall in the 24 hours till 8.30 am on Tuesday. The Colaba observatory recorded 59.2 mm of rainfall during the same period, an IMD official said. Apart from Mumbai, heavy rain is also predicted for Pune, Thane, Palghar, Raigad and adjoining areas. The state of Maharashtra has been witnessing heavy downpours these days. Nearly 30 districts have been hit by the heavy rainfalls such as Pune, Satara, Solapur, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Beed, Latur, Washim, Yavatmal, Dhule, Jalna, Akola, Bhandara, Buldhana, Nagpur, Nandurbar, Mumbai Sub, Palghar, Thane, Nanded, Amravati, Wardha, Ratnagiri, Sindhudurg, Gadchiroli, Sangli, Chandrapur.

• • • • Expect monsoon to hit city in time,say weatherman Expect monsoon to hit city in time,say weatherman With monsoon expected to arrive in Andaman and Nicobar Islands within the next three-four days,the weather officials on Sunday said that they are closely watching the movement of the south-west monsoon which is likely to reach Mumbai by June 10. With monsoon expected to arrive in Andaman and Nicobar Islands within the next three-four days,the weather officials on Sunday said that they are closely watching the movement of the south-west monsoon which is likely to reach Mumbai by June 10. Typically the normal onset of monsoon over the Andaman Sea is May 20,after which it touches Kerala by June 1 and in the next 10 days,proceeds toward Mumbai. The India Metrological Department said that this year the systems seemed to be in place to keep its monsoon promise,but added that the speed at which the systems travel would be dependent on conducive weather pattern like depressions or low pressures in the Arabian Sea. “As per our calculation based on an indigenously developed statistical model,the south-west monsoons should arrive in Kerala by May 30. However,this prediction has a model error of four days which means it could arrive four days before or after the predicted date. Considering all these aspects,we could say that In the past,the IMD’s monsoon predictions have been largely accurate,Sharma said. However,he added that last year,the onset over Mumbai was delayed exceptio...

On June 11, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a red alert for Mumbai, predicting that heavy rains will lash the city on June 13 and 14. With the city already reeling from the impact of May’s Cyclone Tauktae — and from the waterlogging that accompanied the onset of monsoon earlier that week — Mumbai's Municipal corporation, BMC, urged people to stay at home and mobilised the National Disaster Relief Force. But one Twitter user, with a sizeable following that swears by him, remained convinced that there was no need to worry. “Update - #mumbairain will keep increasing in intensity and consistency till afternoon tomorrow and then start receding,” tweeted @RamzPuj, a 41-year-old banker and amateur meteorologist who goes by the moniker ‘Weatherman of Mumbai’. “Sunday [13th] should be lesser rains. It’s #Monsoon so rain won’t completely stop.”