Mumbai: As June drew to a close, rainfall readings from the city’s two main weather observatories painted a contrasting picture. While the Colaba observatory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded 592 mm of rain — exceeding its monthly average of 542.3 mm — Santacruz fell slightly short, logging 512.7 mm against an average of 537.1 mm.The shortfall of rainfall in the suburbs, although marginal, came even as the city experienced its earliest onset of the southwest monsoon on May 26.Despite the shortfall in the suburbs, weather officials expect the monsoon momentum to continue. The IMD’s district forecast for the next five days predicts rainfall across Mumbai until at least July 4.A yellow alert has been issued for Mumbai, Thane and Palghar for July 2 and 3, indicating the likelihood of heavy rainfall at isolated locations. Raigad is under an orange alert for the same period, suggesting the potential for heavy to very heavy showers in certain areas.July is Mumbai’s wettest monsoon month, receiving an average of 855 mm of rain during the month.Water stocks in the seven lakes supplying the city as of Monday were 40%, or 5.82 lakh million litres, much higher than the 5.46% last year on the same day.
