Mumbai rains: Heavy showers lash city, IMD predicts more rainfall in next 2-3 days

Mumbai: Heavy showers on Sunday lashed parts of the city, mainly western suburbs, playing spoiler for Diwali preparations.

The Met department said the rain was caused due to retreating monsoon which is still in transition.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast more showers in the next two-three days due to the development of a depression in the Bay of Bengal.

The showers continued for a couple of hours in Malad, Goregaon, parts of Bandra and Santacruz. The south Mumbai also received intermittent rain late evening.

Because of the rain, people preferred to stay indoors and avoided visiting markets for buying Diwali articles.

According to Met department, the rain was part of the monsoon withdrawal.

"However, the intensity of showers increased in some parts of the city because of the moisture supply from Arabian sea," it said in a statement.

IMD officials said the withdrawal of the Southwest monsoon is still in transition. "Monsoon has withdrawn from Surat till Nagpur," the statement said.

Monsoon withdrawal is generally complete by the first week of October, but this time it is delayed.

"The showers generally last for a few hours, but at times they become heavy," the IMD said.