Maharashtra: IMD upgrades heavy rain alert to orange for today

PUNE: India Meteorological Department (IMD) has upgraded its heavy rainfall warning for various parts of Maharashtra to orange for September 16.
As per the advisory, heavy to very heavy rainfall and extremely heavy downpour are very likely at isolated places over west Madhya Pradesh, north madhya Maharashtra and Gujarat region.
Maharashtra has an orange warning for September 16 (Saturday).
Heavy to very heavy rainfall at a few places have been forecast for districts such as Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Dhule, Jalgaon, Pune ghat areas for September 16. Extremely heavy rainfall at isolated places in the ghat areas has been forecast for districts like Nandurbar and Nashik. The spells could be interspersed with thunderstorm and lightning activity at isolated places in several districts of Maharashtra, including Jalna, Aurangabad, Solapur, Sangli and Satara among others. Heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated to few places is also likely on September 17 in Palghar, Thane, Raigad, Ratnagiri, Mumbai, Nandurbar, and ghats of Nashik, Pune and Satara on September 17.
An IMD forecast issued on Friday said light to moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall, thunderstorm and lightning with isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall very likely over Konkan and Goa, madhya Maharashtra, Gujarat region during September 15-18 and Marathwada on September 15-16. Isolated extremely heavy rainfall is very likely over north madhya Maharashtra on September 16, it said.
Among other reasons, the rainfall will be a result of the well-marked low pressure area over northwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining north Odisha-West Bengal coasts, which lies over east Madhya Pradesh and neighbourhood. It is likely to move across west Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat during next three-four days, IMD said.
As per an IMD warning, the impending heavy rainfall across various regions in India from the September 15-18 is expected to bring about several significant impacts. "West Madhya Pradesh, madhya Maharashtra, and east Rajasthan are likely to experience strong winds posing a threat to plantation, horticultural crops, and other standing crops. Vulnerable structures could suffer partial damage from the strong winds. Kutcha houses, walls, and huts may also sustain minor damage," said Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather forecasting division, IMD.
In response to these potential risks, several precautionary actions have been recommended.
"Residents in affected areas are advised to stay indoors, ensuring that windows and doors are closed. If possible, travel should be avoided during the adverse weather conditions. Seeking safe shelters is imperative, with a strong caution against taking refuge under trees. Individuals are also advised not to lie on concrete floors or lean against concrete walls due to the risk of injury from falling debris," he said.