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MUMBAI: Mumbai is set to witness a rain-drenched weekend, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) issuing an orange alert for city.According to IMD, Raigad is under a red alert for Thursday, as a low-pressure system developing in the Arabian Sea is likely to intensify into a depression, potentially escalating into a cyclone. According to IMD officials, the intense pre-monsoon activity is being fuelled by a combination of abundant moisture feed from the Arabian Sea, localised daytime heating, and wind convergence. Shubhangi Bhute, head of IMD Mumbai, said, “A cyclonic circulation persists over the east-central Arabian Sea off the North Karnataka-Goa coast. A low-pressure area is likely to form under its influence within 12 hours, and it may intensify into a depression over the next 36 hours.”

In the past 24 hours ending 8:30am on Wednesday, Mumbai’s Santacruz observatory recorded 62mm of rainfall, while Colaba saw 22.9mm. Area-specific data shows that Tuesday’s downpour was most intense in the western suburbs, with Jogeshwari registering 79mm, Andheri East 67mm, and Borivli 65mm of rain between 6pm and 11pm. For Thursday and Saturday, the IMD has placed Mumbai under a yellow alert, warning of heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds at isolated places. Moderate rainfall is forecast for Sunday.Weather enthusiast Athreya Shetty explained that an unusual low-latitude western disturbance earlier this month triggered the pre-monsoon showers on May 7 and altered the usual summer pattern. “The system cleared the Arabian Sea anticyclone, which normally causes dry and hot conditions, and left behind moisture-laden westerlies,” he said. “With the ongoing cyclonic activity, we’re now seeing a resurgence of moderate to heavy spells across Mumbai Metropolitan Region.” Mumbai and its adjoining areas have already crossed the 100mm rainfall mark for May, with several more wet days expected before the official onset of the monsoon.