Bring out the raincoats, monsoon arrives in Mumbai this week

MUMBAI: Find the umbrellas, shake out the raincoats, because the countdown is almost over: the monsoon is three days away from Mumbai.

On Monday, CVV Bhadram, deputy director of the met department’s western region, said the monsoon is expected to hit the city “in the next three-four days” and will definitely arrive by the end of the week.

The monsoon has already crossed Goa, where it’s pouring cats and dogs, and is fast approaching Maharashtra. The monsoon hit Goa’s coast on May 28, ten days ahead of the official onset date of June 8.

“Our calculations confirm the met department’s findings. An earlier forecast indicated June 5 as the onset but that has been modified given the pace of the monsoon,” said PCS Devara, director, Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology.

An early monsoon also means there is likely to be a break in between. “How long that break will last is very difficult to predict. We can say with certainty that this will not be a continuous monsoon,” Devara said.