Mumbai Weather Turns Dystopian with Sandstorm and Rain Showers

Mumbai experienced the season’s first rainfall on Monday, bringing along a massive sandstorm that turned the city’s sky dark and gave it a dystopian appearance. The sudden change in weather delighted the city’s residents who had been facing scorching heat in the past few days.

The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted lightning and gusty winds at isolated places in Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg districts, issuing a ‘Yellow’ alert for these regions. An ‘Orange’ alert was also declared for several other districts in Maharashtra, including Pune, Satara, Sangli, Nashik, Kolhapur, Ahmednagar, Aurangabad, Jalna, and Parbhani.

The sudden change in weather caused traffic disruptions in Mumbai, with strong winds uprooting trees in various areas. Fortunately, there were no reported injuries, but precautions were taken to ensure the safety of residents in vulnerable locations.

The weather change impacted the flight operations at Mumbai International Airport, where takeoff and landing were briefly suspended due to the forecast of hail, gusty winds, and heavy rain in parts of Maharashtra.

The rain showers in Maharashtra are expected to provide relief from the intense heatwave experienced across several states in India. This year, anticyclonic conditions and heatwaves have led to record-high temperatures in many regions.