No sign of heavy rainfall: Met

After scant showers a few days ago, monsoon, it seems, has disappeared from the city and state. The meteorological department has predicted that days will only get hotter and more humid.

While the Met says there may be one or two spells of rain over the next two days in the city, there is still no sign of heavy rainfall. The temperature will soar up to 34 degrees Celsius, a sharp increase of two to three degrees in day temperatures over the past week. It has not even rained up to 100 millimeters since the official onset of monsoon two weeks ago.

Humidity, on the other hand, which lurks at 91% in Colaba and close to 70% in Santa Cruz, is making the city sweat incessantly.

"The monsoon currents are looking weak. They are yet to pick up pace. It does not rain uniformly over the four months of the season, but the weather alternates between strong and weak phases," said VK Rajeev, director, Indian met department. The season's total rainfall for Colaba has been 54.3 millimeters and for Santa Cruz 86.6 millimeters, which is extremely scanty.

The departure of rains from the normal is massive. In Colaba, it has departed by -284.9 mm and in Santa Cruz by -226.8 mm.

Met officials said monsoon this year has been the worst ever. Last year after June 16, the city was left crippled due to heavy rainfall for three consecutive days.

"The current systems take time to form. It is a wait-and-watch situation," said Rajeev.