WeatherSunshine.com - Articles - Monsoon rains cause flooding in Mumbai

Monsoon rains cause flooding in Mumbai

5/27/25

The monsoon rains have arrived in India much earlier than usual this year, catching residents of Mumbai by surprise. The financial hub of India has seen its wettest May in more than a century. Mumbai alone has already received more than 400 millimeters of rain in May, resulting in flash floods.

Photo:Depositphotos

The situation in Mumbai began to deteriorate late last weekend, when the heaviest rainfall fell. Torrential downpours turned roads into rivers and even flooded the newly opened underground train station. Mumbai, home to more than 12 million people, had most of them wading knee-deep in water.

India's economy depends on the monsoon, which brings rain to the country after a long dry season. A significant percentage of the country's 1.4 billion people work in agriculture, which the government heavily supports.

Monsoon rains usually arrive in India in June and last until September. Without them, crops in India would not be able to grow. Irrigation, including the replenishment of reservoirs, depends on them. Some experts say that global warming is increasing the variability of monsoon rains in India faster than previously thought.

The onset of the southwest monsoon in Mumbai on May 26 is the earliest advance of the monsoon over the city since 1950. Last May, heavy rains caused the collapse of a huge billboard, killing 14 residents and injuring dozens more.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi recently inaugurated the Worli Metro station, part of an ambitious plan to modernize India's aging transport network and transform the country with the goal of becoming a developed nation by 2047.

Meteorologists predict more downpours this week, bringing the threat of flooding. The southern Indian state of Kerala has also seen an early arrival of monsoon rains. The capital was also hit by heavy rains and storms last week.

Source:Accuweather