&imwidth=800&imheight=600&format=webp&quality=medium "Delayed but deadly: Why is Mumbai facing monsoon fury in an El Niño year?")
Heavy rains have battered Mumbai between late June and July 8. According to the Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC), the city received an average rainfall of 61.13 mm during a period of 48 hours ending at 8 am on Wednesday. This is the wettest start to the monsoon for Mumbai since 2000. Approximately 1,240 mm of rainfall was recorded by July 6. This amounts to an entire month's rain drenching the city in just 7 days. The incessant rains have come in a year when Super El Niño is burning most parts of the world. The phenomenon is mostly linked with droughts and extreme heat, but also triggers floods in some regions.
Why is Mumbai witnessing heavy rainfall in an El Niño year?
Typically, El Niño delays the monsoon and causes fewer rainy days. Mumbai witnessed a delayed arrival, but still a massive deluge. Climate scientists explain that while El Niño still affects when the rain arrives, global warming is determining how it rains once it gets here.
The year 2026 is witnessing an extreme El Niño. World Meteorological Organization (WMO) has warned of extreme effects, with NASA satellite capturing the swollen oceans that have registered higher than normal temperatures. The effects of El Niño, one of the strongest in 150 years, can be clearly seen in the case of Mumbai and the monsoon in India. It delayed the arrival of the monsoon by nearly two weeks. Then, once active weather systems developed over the Arabian Sea, the persistent shear zone triggered extreme rainfall.
Warmer Arabian Sea feeding clouds
Trending Stories
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
National Handloom Day 2026: From Alia Bhatt to Samantha Ruth Prabhu; Actresses who celebrated India's textile heritage as brides
)
The Royals enter the Doctor Who universe: King Charles and Queen Camilla beam into Commonwealth Games in TARDIS
)
Unitree Robotics targets $9 billion valuation in landmark IPO backed by DeepSeek and Tencent
)
India names 27 sites in Arunachal Pradesh
)
Bharat Bhhagya Viddhaata OTT: When will Kangana Ranaut's film stream online?
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
How many soldiers operate one S-400 battery?
)
Shakib Al Hasan ready to return to Bangladesh—under one condition
)
‘Fake news’: MEA rejects report claiming India sought defence pact with Israel after Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Turkey deal
)
Rockstar to unveil GTA 6 extended look ahead of November launch
)
Russia forms Ukrainian Volunteer Spetsnaz Brigade to fight Ukraine
)
Drug-resistant fungus that hides in hair and enters bloodstream reported in 23 US states
)
Technology transfer deal boosts India's defence manufacturing ambitions
)
Border row erupts in Europe after Ceuta crossings, Spain imposes border controls on Italy
)
Morale plummets on USS Abraham Lincoln: Are US sailors reaching a breaking point? | GRAVITAS
)
'Security can't be bought with Pakistan, Turkey deal': Iran tells Saudi Arabia
)
Baba Vanga's 2026 prophecy: 2 predictions 'already came true', 3 terrifying ones remain. Details inside
)
Colombia’s new president Abelardo de la Espriella vows to ‘defeat narco-terrorists’, signals hardline shift
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
New Friday OTT releases (August 7, 2026): Operation Safed Sagar, Vadhandhi, Main Vaapis Aaunga- 6 movies and TV shows on Netflix, Prime Video and more
)
Squadron Leader Bhawana Kanth scripts history as Indian Air Force gets its first woman ‘Top Gun’ pilot
)
RSS says Gen Z protests reflect genuine distress
)
Trump says Iranian school bombing photos could be AI-generated - 'I don’t think...'
)
IAF officer held for sharing sensitive information in 'honey trap' case, booked under Official Secrets Act
)
Stray Kids under scrutiny? Fans react to Grammy submission silence after BTS boycott
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI doesn't need external fuel tanks to fly vast distances
)
Jugal Hansraj reunites with Shekhar Kapur after 40 years for Masoom: The Next Generation
)
New speed limits, automatic challans: Big traffic change coming to Delhi-Meerut Expressway. All you need to know
)
India officially names 27 places in Arunachal to counter China's renaming claims
)
Trump calls White House ballroom ruling a 'national disgrace' as court says Congress approval needed
)
US sanctions Iran’s crypto network after Strait of Hormuz attacks, offers $15m bounty for intel on IRGC finance
&im=FitAndFill=(700,400))
Why the Su-30MKI is one of the heaviest fighters ever built
)
Uttarakhand young innovator builds India's own flying vehicle, conducts first test flight: WATCH
)
Chilling video shows students take cover as teen opens fire at Thai school
)
Reese Witherspoon's father hospitalised after poolside incident in Nashville: Report
Arabian Sea is experiencing higher-than-normal surface temperatures and holding more moisture. It is acting like a massive fuel tank for the clouds, continuously feeding them with moisture. A dual system at work has further fuelled these conditions.
Active low-pressure systems over the Bay of Bengal travelled westward across central India. Moisture from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal added abundant moisture to the core monsoon region. As it all came together over western India, and the moisture-heavy wind systems from the Arabian Sea hit the Western Ghats, the moisture-laden air moved upward. This has led to heavy, concentrated rain over Mumbai and adjoining areas.
