Pre-Monsoon Showers: Up to 30 mm rainfall was recorded in some areas in Mumbai till 11 am today.
Rains lashed Mumbai and its neighbouring areas this morning, bringing respite from the sweltering heat. The weather department said that pre-monsoon showers have arrived in the region.
As per the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) in Mumbai, up to 30 mm rainfall was recorded in areas like Malvani, Borivali and Dahisar in Mumbai till 11 am.
On Saturday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) had confirmed the arrival of the south-west monsoon in Maharashtra, when it had reached up to Harnai port in coastal Ratnagiri district. But, despite favourable conditions, the monsoon is yet to reach to Mumbai.
When contacted by news agency PTI, Shubhangi Bhute, director at the RMC Mumbai, termed the present rainfall in the city as "convective precipitation".
"You can observe that there is thunder, lightning and a constant variation in the intensity of the showers. You can call it pre-monsoon showers, but certainly not the south-west monsoon," she said.
"These are no indications of onset of the monsoon here as yet," the official said.
"There has to be less variation and rains have to be widespread (to be called as monsoon showers). Apart from Mumbai, there should be rains over central Maharashtra also. Then only we can identify it as the south-west (SW) monsoon," she said.
The official further said going by the present observations, the south-west monsoon onset in Mumbai could be declared after a couple of days - by June 10.
"There is also an off-shore trough in the Arabian Sea, but it is weak. Had it been strong, it could have helped in the advancement of the monsoon," she said.
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