First Rain In Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed the first rains of the season, accompanied by a massive duststorm that turned the sky dark around 3 pm today. Rainfall brought relief to the residents of Mumbai and its adjoining area from heat but the skyline of the metropolitan was encircled by dusty winds.
The sudden change in weather brought traffic to a standstill as commuters took shelter during the storm.
Strong winds and rain were witnessed in the Ghatkopar, Bandra Kurla, and Dharavi areas of Mumbai. Landing and takeoff operations at the Mumbai airport, one of the busiest airports in the country, were temporarily suspended, officials said. The airport authority in an update said the operations resumed at 5:03 pm and it witnessed 15 flight diversions during the storm. The Mumbai Airport last week completed its pre-monsoon runway maintenance successfully, ensuring safe and smooth aircraft operations.
A 100-foot tall billboard was uprooted and fell on a petrol pump at the Cheddanagar Junction in Mumbai’s Ghatkopar, trapping vehicles and people, visuals showed. Some people are heard saying “They are dead…they are dead”. No casualties have been reported so far but a rescue operation is underway.
The National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) has been called to rescue the trapped. Three people died and 67 were rescued from the site.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) Mumbai has issued a “nowcast warning” forecasting a thunderstorm accompanied by lightning and moderate to intense spells of rain for Thane, Palghar, and Mumbai.
📌Mod to intense thunderstorms over Red marked areas; District of Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Nagar & eastern suburbs of Mumbai during next 2 hrs. Mulund, C, Kalyaan
📌Mod to severe thunderstorms over yellow areas covering South ghat areas of Pune, Satara next 2,3 hrs
The weather office, in an update, said thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and moderate to intense spells of rain with gusty winds reaching 50-60 km/hr are very likely to occur at isolated places in the districts of Palghar and Thane during the next 3-4 hours.
Metro services were suspended between Aarey and Andheri East metro stations after a banner landed on the overheard wire due to strong winds, a spokesperson from Metro Rail said.
Suburban services on Central Railway were affected after an overhead equipment pole between Thane and Mulund stations got bent due to strong winds, an official said.
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First Rain In Mumbai: A few days after Delhi NCR witnessed a massive dust storm, Mumbai follows the list. Mumbai was engulfed in a tempestuous display of nature on Monday as heavy rains, dust storms, and fierce winds descended upon the city, causing widespread disruption to transportation services. In the rescue operation, about 67 people were rescued.
This meteorological uproar followed a forewarning from the India Meteorological Department, Mumbai, which had predicted thunderstorms laced with lightning and substantial rainfall for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar.
Mumbai never witnessed such high power storms.
The adverse weather conditions prompted the temporary suspension of flight operations at Mumbai airport for approximately an hour due to diminished visibility and forceful winds.
The weather department cautioned that gusty winds, clocking speeds of 40-50 kmph, would persist in isolated pockets of Mumbai for the next four hours, urging residents to exercise vigilance. The suburbs of Dadar, Kurla, Mahim, Ghatkopar, Mulund, and Vikhroli bore the brunt of the rains and gusts, while parts of south Mumbai experienced a gentle drizzle.
Mumbai currently looks like a Hollywood movie shot in Mexico.
First Rain In Mumbai: Tragedy struck when an iron hoarding collapsed amidst the turbulent weather in Ghatkopar, injuring at least seven individuals. The incident unfolded at the Police Ground petrol pump along the Eastern Express Highway in Pantnagar, with officials launching a search and rescue operation for potential victims trapped beneath the debris.
A tall metal structure standing opposite a building collapses due to a strong storm in the Wadala area of Maharashtra
Maharashtra | One NDRF team has been deployed at Ghatkopar.
54 people injured and over 100 feared trapped after a hoarding fell at the Police Ground Petrol Pump, Eastern Express Highway, Pantnagar, Ghatkopar East. Search and rescue is in process: BMC
Further chaos ensued as an electric pole succumbed to the force of the storm near Belapur Savita Chemical on Thane-Belapur Road.
Transportation networks faced severe disruptions, with metro services halted between Aarey and Andheri East stations after a banner became entangled in the overhead wires due to the ferocious winds. Additionally, suburban services on the Central Railway line encountered obstacles when an overhead equipment pole between Thane and Mulund stations bent under the pressure of the gales.
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