Monsoon withdrawal for Mumbai, Maharashtra may be delayed by at least one more week: IMD – Hindustan Times

The southwest monsoon withdrawal from Mumbai and Maharashtra is likely to be delayed by at least another week, declared the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday, terming it “one of the most delayed withdrawals ever” for the city and state. This year’s monsoon season for Mumbai has already stretched to 124 days – from June 14 to October 16 –beyond the normal duration of 120 – from June 11 to October 8.

“Weather conditions are becoming favourable for the formation of a low pressure weather system over Bay of Bengal again around October 19. This would lead to the extension of the monsoon withdrawal over Mumbai, Maharashtra and rest of central India by at least another week,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, director-general, IMD. “There is no chance of withdrawal at the moment. It will take at least seven more days for withdrawal from Mumbai and another nine days from Maharashtra.”

Meanwhile, thundershowers witnessed in the city over the past two days not only delayed monsoon retrieval but also led to much cleaner air. The city witnessed a clear blue sky interspersed with white clouds throughout Friday.

According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) on Friday was 42 (good) during the day and 46 (good) in the evening. AQI from all 10 locations saw levels either in the ‘good’ or ‘satisfactory’ categories. Malad was the only location that recorded a spike in nitrogen dioxide levels, with an AQI of 218 (poor) on Friday. An AQI of 44 (good) has been predicted for Saturday.

“Thundershowers have washed away the pollutants from the city’s air and movement of the low pressure system and rain clouds over the Arabian Sea along the Maharashtra coast owing to easterly winds led to the bright blue sky and sunny weather during the day,” said Gufran Beig, project director, SAFAR.

Friday evening, however, saw cloud cover and light isolated rain in some parts of the island city and suburbs. The IMD has removed all rain warnings for the next five days and issued a forecast for light to moderate rain till October 21.