The IMD on Monday issued a flash warning for districts in Vidarbha region of Maharashtra. The warning was issued for Wardha, Bhandara, Nagpur, Yavatmal, Gondia, Akola, Washim and Amravati districts.
The Met department has asked citizens to take the following safety precautions:
1. Stay indoors: Avoid outdoor activities and stay indoors during the lightning warning.
2. Unplug electronics: Unplug electronics and avoid using wired devices during the thunderstorm.
3. Stay away from windows: Avoid windows to minimize the risk of injury from arcing metal frames or window tracks.
4. Avoid water: Stay away from bodies of water and do not shower or use taps during the alert.
5. Avoid open fields: Do not stand in open fields or under tall trees. Find shelter in a substantial building. Stay away from chain link fences, clotheslines, metal pipes, metal rails, and other metal objects.
6. If you are outdoors and caught in a storm, crouch to the ground with your feet together and avoid touching metal objects. Do not lie on the ground, as wet ground is a good conductor of electricity.
Mumbai weather update: City receives first pre-monsoon rains of the season
Several parts of Mumbai received the first pre-monsoon rains of the season on Wednesday morning, giving respite to residents from the scorching heat and humidity. Here is the latest Mumbai weather update.
Mumbaikars woke up to a cloudy morning and some parts of the city started receiving light rain around 7 am.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its Mumbai weather update predicted partly cloudy skies on Wednesday.
The maximum temperature is likely to settle at 35 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is likely to be recorded at 29 degrees Celsius.
Many parts of the city like Dadar, Kandivali, Magathane, Oshiwara, Wadala and Ghatkopar witnessed rainfall in the range of 4 mm to 26 mm between 7 am and 8 am.
Some parts of central and south Mumbai also received light rain.
Normal traffic
According to authorities, road traffic and rail services were operating normally in the city. Monsoon usually arrives in Mumbai in the second week of June.
Last month, Mumbai witnessed unseasonal rain with gusty winds during which a fence collapsed in the Ghatkopar area, claiming several lives.
The end of El Niño
The 2023-24 El Niño event, which caused record temperatures and extreme weather conditions around the world, is expected to transition to La Niña conditions later this year, according to a new update from the World Meteorological Organization (WMO). .
The world experienced the warmest April on record and the 11th consecutive month of record temperatures this year. According to the WMO, sea surface temperatures have reached record levels over the past 13 months.
The WMO said this is happening due to the natural phenomenon El Niño (unusual warming of waters in the central and eastern Pacific Ocean) and the additional energy trapped in the atmosphere and ocean by greenhouse gases from human activities.
Amid a prevailing but weakening El Niño, millions of people in South Asia, including India and Pakistan, endured brutal heat in April and May.
The latest forecasts from the WMO Global Long-Range Forecast Production Centers give an equal chance (50 percent) of neutral conditions or a transition to La Niña during June-August.