Weather Report: Unseasonal Rain Brings Relief To Mumbai; Hailstorms Destroy Crops In North Maharashtra

Mumbai: Hailstorms flattened crops in the north Maharashtra region including parts of Nashik and Dhule districts, officials said on Tuesday. In Mumbai and the surrounding areas, unseasonal showers brought some relief from sultry weather on Monday. An official said on Tuesday that the Malshej Ghat region between Thane and Pune districts received heavy rainfall with thunder a day before.

Earlier in the day, the Met department issued a warning of thunderstorms and moderate rains in isolated places in Mumbai, Pune, and Ahmednagar districts till this afternoon. A brief spell of rain brought some relief to Mumbaikars.

Mumbai's maximum temperature has been rising steadily for the last four days, but it dropped today after parts of the state capital reported untimely showers. The areas including

Dadar, Malad, Goregaon and Andheri reported light showers, said an IMD official. A maximum temperature of 39.3 degrees Celsius was reported in Mumbai suburban district on Monday, which is 6.4 degrees Celsius higher than the average temperature, according to the Met department. The Colaba observatory in the city recorded a temperature of 37 degrees Celsius, which was higher by 5.7 degrees.

According to officials, a severe impact of the showers was seen in north Maharashtra including Nashik and Dhule districts. Wheat, onion and the flowering of mangoes have been affected. The onion crop which was ready for harvest has become wet. More than 1,800 hectares of wheat and onion plantation in Nashik are likely to be affected, said a Nashik division official.

He said that a detailed assessment of the impact of unseasonal rains on crops will be carried out once weather conditions become favourable for a survey. In the last two days, some parts of Maharashtra experienced unseasonal rains accompanied by lightning.

"Some parts of Dhule district received heavy hailstorm on Monday. The road near Sakri town was fully covered with hails,? the official said, adding that untimely rains have been reported in the Vidarbha region as well.