Maharashtra is set to receive thunderstorms over the next two to three days, with the India Meteorological Department issuing a yellow alert for Mumbai, Thane, Pune, Raigad, Nashik, Nagpur and several other districts. The forecast comes as the southwest monsoon begins its withdrawal from parts of north-west India and the state continues to record a seasonal rainfall deficit.
The weather department has attributed the expected change to a low-pressure area formed over the Bay of Bengal. The system is forecast to move gradually towards the north-west and cross the coast of northern Andhra Pradesh and southern Odisha within the next 24 hours, according to the report published by Loksatta.
Thunderstorm activity has already been reported in parts of Maharashtra over the past two days. While isolated rainfall has been recorded in parts of Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha, several other areas have continued to receive little or no rain. The department has forecast thunderstorms across most parts of the state on Tuesday, with the possibility that the effect will continue over the next three days.
The yellow alert covers Mumbai, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Kolhapur and the Kolhapur ghat section; Sangli, Satara and the Satara ghat section; Pune and the Pune ghat section; Ahilyanagar, Nashik and the Nashik ghat section; and districts across Marathwada and Vidarbha. These include Beed, Dharashiv, Solapur, Latur, Parbhani, Jalna, Nanded, Hingoli, Yavatmal, Wardha, Nagpur, Bhandara, Gondia, Chandrapur and Gadchiroli.
For Maharashtra’s cities, the alert places the focus on short-duration weather events that can affect roads, local transport and routine municipal operations, although the report does not record any major disruption at the time of publication. Mumbai, Pune and Thane are among the urban centres included in the alert, while several ghat areas have also been identified for possible thunderstorms.
The forecast follows a prolonged period of uneven rainfall in the state. Since August, Vidarbha, most of Marathwada and parts of Madhya Maharashtra have experienced a significant shortfall. The state’s cumulative seasonal rainfall deficit stands at 17 per cent, according to the report. The shortfall has increased concerns for farmers, particularly in regions where the late-monsoon rainfall is important for standing crops and water availability.
The southwest monsoon has begun withdrawing from most of Rajasthan, along with parts of Punjab and Haryana. The average date for the monsoon to withdraw from Maharashtra is October 10, while the weather department expects the monsoon to retreat from the entire country by October 15. However, thunderstorm activity may continue in parts of the state until September 27, with heavy rain forecast in some areas of Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada between September 22 and 23.
The immediate forecast remains focused on thunderstorms and yellow-alert conditions across the listed districts. The next significant weather window identified by the department is September 22-23, when parts of Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada may receive heavy rain.
