Mumbai, along with neighbouring districts Thane and Palghar, has been placed under a red alert after the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued an urgent nowcast warning for heavy to very heavy rainfall on Wednesday, July 1. The weather department has forecast intense rain spells accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds over the next few hours, urging residents to remain cautious and avoid unnecessary travel.
The heavy overnight rainfall has already disrupted normal life across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR), causing waterlogging in several low-lying areas, traffic diversions and delays in suburban train services. Civic authorities have deployed emergency teams to monitor flood-prone locations, clear fallen trees and respond to other rain-related incidents.
Mumbai recorded significant rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8 am on Wednesday. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the eastern suburbs received an average of 109 mm of rain, followed by the western suburbs with 87 mm and the island city with 86 mm.
Data from automatic rain gauges showed that Mankhurd recorded the city's highest rainfall at 170.4 mm. In the island city, Byculla received 162.52 mm, Mumbai Central recorded 142.43 mm, and Wadala logged 127 mm.
Among the western suburbs, the Bandra Kurla Complex (BKC) area received 132.4 mm of rainfall, followed by Borivali with 126 mm. The Dindoshi Fire Station recorded 123 mm during the same period.
Between 7 am and 8 am on Wednesday, rainfall intensified in several parts of the city. Andheri West recorded the highest hourly rainfall at 39 mm, while Andheri East received 34 mm and Bandra West logged 24 mm.
So far this monsoon season, Mumbai's Colaba observatory has recorded 510 mm of rainfall, while the Santacruz observatory has recorded 513 mm. According to municipal data, the city has received 20.41% of its average seasonal rainfall to date.
Waterlogging Hits Andheri Subway, Traffic Diverted
The continuous downpour led to waterlogging in the Andheri subway and several other low-lying areas, forcing authorities to divert traffic in affected pockets. Motorists and commuters have been advised to check traffic and transport updates before heading out, as more heavy showers are expected through the day.
While BEST buses continued operating on their regular routes, suburban railway services witnessed disruptions. Local train services on the Harbour Line between Navi Mumbai and Mumbai were suspended from 4.52 am to 5.45 am after an overhead wire snapped. Central Railway and Western Railway suburban services also experienced delays due to the weather.
The persistent rainfall has started improving water storage levels in Mumbai's seven key reservoirs. According to BMC data released on Wednesday, the combined water stock increased from 6.75% to 7.18% within a day.
The reservoirs—Upper Vaitarna, Middle Vaitarna, Bhatsa, Tansa, Tulsi, Modak Sagar and Vihar—are spread across Mumbai, Thane, Palghar and Nashik districts. Water levels had declined steadily through June because of delayed monsoon rains, raising concerns over the city's water supply.
Bringing relief amidst the city's water shortage, Powai Lake—one of the key artificial lakes serving the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) area—began overflowing around 5:30 AM today.
The IMD has warned that the southwest monsoon is expected to remain active over Maharashtra, bringing widespread rainfall across the Mumbai Metropolitan Region over the coming days. The department has advised residents to stay indoors during periods of intense rainfall, avoid flooded roads and follow official weather advisories.
Private weather forecaster AccuWeather has also predicted continuous rain through Wednesday and into the night, with daytime temperatures expected to hover around 28°C and nighttime temperatures near 26°C. The forecast places the probability of rain at 100%.
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast that July 2026 is likely to witness above-normal maximum temperatures across most parts of India. A few isolated areas in west-central India may experience normal to below-normal daytime temperatures. Minimum temperatures are also expected to remain above normal across much of the country, except for isolated pockets of central and northeastern India where they are likely to stay near normal.