The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai and surrounding districts, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall. As a result, schools, colleges, and some offices have been closed, and residents have been advised to stay indoors.
Heavy rains have severely impacted operations at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport. Reports indicate that over 250 flights were affected, with 155 departing flights and 102 inbound services experiencing delays. Poor visibility and bad weather conditions led to several flights performing go-arounds, and some were diverted to other airports. The downpour also caused significant waterlogging on roads leading to the airport, further affecting travel for passengers.
Heavy rain has caused significant disruption at Mumbai’s Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport
According to recent reports, flight operations have been severely affected for the second consecutive day. Airlines such as IndiGo, SpiceJet, and Akasa Air have issued travel advisories, warning passengers of delays and advising them to check their flight status before heading to the airport.
The disruptions are due to poor visibility, which has led to flights performing “go-arounds” and diversions. On average, arrival flights have been delayed by 30 minutes and departures by 20 minutes. The downpour has also resulted in widespread waterlogging on roads leading to the airport, causing sluggish traffic and further inconveniencing travelers.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for Mumbai, forecasting extremely heavy rainfall. In response, the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) has declared a holiday for all schools, colleges, and some government offices and urged private companies to allow employees to work from home.
IndiGo released a travel advisory
On Tuesday morning, IndiGo released a travel advisory, warning passengers of potential flight delays and waterlogged roads on their way to the airport. “Mumbai is experiencing heavy rainfall, resulting in waterlogged passages and slow-moving traffic on routes leading to the airport,” the airline tweeted. “These conditions are causing operational difficulties, leading to delays in both departures and arrivals, and we sincerely apologize for any inconvenience this might cause. If you have a flight to catch, please consider leaving a bit earlier and monitoring your flight status on our app or website.”
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation
Meanwhile, the BMC) announced that government and semi-government offices would remain closed and urged private organisations to allow employees to work from home and avoid non-essential travel.
With a ‘red alert’ issued by the IMD predicting severe rainfall in Mumbai and nearby districts on Tuesday, schools and colleges stayed shut. The Mumbai Police urged residents to venture outside only if essential and asked private offices to support remote working arrangements.
In the last day, various areas around the city experienced rainfall surpassing 200 mm, with Vikhroli in the eastern suburbs receiving the most at 255.5 mm, as reported by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
Furthermore, at 10:15 am, the IMD Mumbai released a nowcast warning effective for the following three hours. This red alert warns of extreme weather conditions, predicting heavy rain and gusty winds with speeds ranging from 40–50 km/h, occasionally reaching up to 60 km/h. The alert is applicable to Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Raigad, and the Pune Ghats.