Rains continued to lash Mumbai and its surroundings since dawn as schools and colleges were ordered shut after an IMD Mumbai Red alert was sounded and two persons killed in rain-related deaths, officials said here on Thursday. Many areas of the city like Churchgate, Byculla, Worli, Bandra, Chembur, Ghatkopar, Kurla, Santacruz, Andheri, Malad, Bhandup and other areas received heavy showers since morning.

#MumbaiRains | #IMD issues #RedAlert; schools, colleges to remain shut

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The overnight rainfall recorded till 8 am was – City 112.25 mm, Eastern suburbs 104.45 mm and Western suburbs 116.42 mm, according to the BMC Disaster Control. The IMD has forecast “heavy to very heavy rain in the city and suburbs with the possibility of occasional gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph” for the day. Following a Red alert declared late on Wednesday night, the BMC and state government ordered the closure of all public-private schools and colleges today to ensure the safety of students.

In Thane, a motorcyclist reportedly skid on a wet stretch, lost control and was trapped and crushed to death between the wheels of a container truck on the Ghodbunder Road. A woman was killed when a wall collapsed at her home in Kolhapur this morning during a downpour. Besides Mumbai, Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli are also issued a Red alert today, as per the IMD. Though there are no disruptions of suburban rail services, roads and highways in Mumbai witnessed slow-moving traffic with snarls reported in different parts of the city.

For Friday, the IMD has given an Orange alert in Raigad, Ratnagiri, Pune and Satara, though the situation is likely to ease over the weekend. Fishermen on the coastal Konkan region have been advised against venturing into the high seas till July 30 as there will be heavy rains with strong winds touching upto 55-kmph during the period.

Rains kept lashing the nation, with a cloudburst being reported from Kupwara in Jammu & Kashmir and rivers overflowing in Uttarakhand as a result of heavy precipitation. Following incessant rainfall, the Ganga River witnessed a rise in the water level and was flowing slightly above the danger mark in Haridwar, a senior official said. Even though the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasted substantial rainfall for western and central India in the coming days, several Gujarati towns like Rajkot and Gir Somnath remain underwater.

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In four districts of Kerala, a holiday has been declared for Tuesday as the IMD has forecast thunderstorms for the majority of the state from July 23 to July 26 for the districts of Wayanad, Kozhikode, Kannur, and Malappuram. There will be a temporary disruption of electricity in some areas and possible damage to roads, weak structures and uprooting of trees, authorities said. According to reports, so far four people have died in rain-related incidents in the state.

In Bengaluru, the weatherman has forecast cloudy skies with the possibility of light to moderate rain. Surface winds are likely to be strong and gusty at times.

After a brief respite on Monday, Mumbai was given an “orange” alert on July 25, signifying another day of severe rain. The Santacruz IMD base weather station recorded 101mm of rain in the 24 hours ending at 8:30 am on Monday, however only 23mm of rain fell from that time until 5:30 pm. Most parts of the city witnessed overcast sky, but no rain since early Tuesday morning. After a heavy downpour last week, the rain intensity reduced in Mumbai since Sunday. In some parts of Mumbai, the sun briefly came out of the clouds on Monday.