This is today, 18th August 2025 and the schools in Mumbai had some afternoon shifts closed early because of heavy rain. Today, August 18, all the schools and colleges in the city and the outskirts of Mumbai will be closed tomorrow, today, August 19, hence a full holiday by the municipal authorities in anticipation of a red alert of very heavy rainfall. It is likely to pour and the students have an unscheduled midweek break in the form of monsoon rain. You are a student? Forget those morning alarms, put on and enjoy the sound of rain your true weather day off! Stay warm & stay safe!
Mumbai as the large metropolis and commercial nerve center of India is characterized by unusual and severe monsoon which determines much in the tempo of life in this busy city. The monsoon rains, which stretch between June and September, turn the city of Mumbai, the dusty oxygenless city as it would post a swelteringly hot summer, into a wet, sweaty and green atmosphere that excites and stirs tremendous emotions and anticipation among the citizens of Mumbai.
Monsoon rains in Mumbai come at short notice and are of varied intensity. These rains usually start at around 7 th to 10 th of June and when they come, they do not rain continuously but rather in heavy bursts with dry periods in between. More than 90 percent of the annual rainfall in Mumbai which is about 2,213 millimeters on an average in the island city falls in these months. Besides supplying much-needed water to the drought-stricken land, raising the water tables in reservoirs and lowering the soaring temperatures, rain offers its share of challenges and charms.
The power of the monsoon is one of the most remarkable characteristics of the monsoon as it was in Mumbai. One of the highest daily recorded rainfalls ever in any city in the world was once registered in the city of Tucson to the extent that the city recorded an astounding 944 millimeters of rain in one day on July 26, 2005. Such an intense rainfall usually results in water logging in the low-lying areas, snarls of traffic and inconvenience to daily life. Local trains and commuters almost always get delayed or suspended denoting the fact that the city continually has to respond to the whims of nature.
The red warning by India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted very heavy rainfall in Mumbai and other districts including Thane, Raigad and Palghar. There was up to 177 mm of rainfall in Mumbai in 6-8 hours, and some regions such as Vikhroli had recorded more than 135 mm of rain always on August 18-19, 2025. Because of this relentless rainfall, several localities have become submerged triggering the closure of schools and colleges and restricting government office functioning to bare minimum.
Key water logging has been mentioned on roads like Andheri subway (it has been closed completely), Vakola bridge, Hyatt junction and Khar subway among others throughout the city. The traffic police have redirected the traffic to alternative level such as the Thackeray and Gokhale bridges. However, the issue of slow moving traffic and congestion is still a great concern.
Also, the suburban rail network of Mumbai has been hit. Submerged tracks on the Harbour Line of Central Railway has made it difficult to witness local train services by Central Railway and most initial blame is on the bulging of Mithi river. A good number of trains are delayed or an hour late because of waterlogging on routes.
Flight status advisories have been put in place by the Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport and other airlines such as IndiGo requesting passengers to keep checking the flight status because of the delays that may occur in flights due to poor access roads to the airport which are water-logged.
Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) preemptively marked school and college holidays in Mumbai, its suburbs. The police and other authorities have also sent NDRF teams and military personnel to help out with the rescue and relief efforts especially flood prone or flood hit areas such as Mukhed in Nanded district.
Chief minister Devendra Fadnavis has told the people to be careful, avoid unnecessary travel and be on the lookout against any more weather alerts of heavy rain. He added that the flooding may escalate the following days given the high tide and the rainfall.
Mumbai is in a serious problematic position right now, owing to massive monsoon showers, and there is great waterlogging, then, disbestowing the traffic as well as intermittent shutdown of schools and public facilities. Although the city authorities have been quite proactive in rescue and relief operations, and ensuring a high priority on the safety of the citizens, they are advised to be careful, discouraged on any unimportant travel, and keep themselves abridged with official advisory signs. The next few days have been indicating to be decisive as the rains persist, to put Mumbai to its test and test its emergency readiness. The city is trying to go through this rough monsoon period securely and effectively with the help of each other, and the community.