Live Updates of cyclone Ockhi in Mumbai

Heavy rains lashed parts of Mumbai on Tuesday morning as cyclone Ochki closed in on the coast of Maharashtra. The rainfall is expected to continue in certain pockets for the next 24 hours, following which the cyclonic storm will move towards Gujarat.

Live updates (latest updates first)

3:30 pm: As IMD informs cyclone Ockhi is 230km West-SouthWest of Mumbai, likely to continue to move North-NorthEastward and weaken gradually as it crosses South Gujrat and North Maharashtra coast. No impact on Mumbai City and Suburb. All Roads and Rail traffic are running smoothly, please don’t create panic – Disaster Management, BMC

3 pm: During the last 24 hours from 8:30 am on Monday, Colaba recorded 23 mm of rain, Santacruz 22 mm, Alibag 21 mm, Thane 14 mm, Dahanu 13 mm, Mahabaleshwar 4 mm, Satara 4 mm and Pune 3 mm. Till tonight, possibility of heavy showers in Mumbai cannot be ruled out – Skymet Weather

1:45 pm: The Minimum temperature in the city has dropped to 20 degrees Celsius.

BMC, meanwhile, warned people living in some parts of south Mumbai and suburbs of the possibility of tidal waves flowing into the roads and homes, and asked them to take adequate precautions.

According to a civic official, Arabian Sea recorded a high tide of 5.04 metres today. It be 5.05 metres on Wednesday and gradually recede to 4.17 metres by Thursday.

1:20 pm: Disaster Management Cell is ready for any emergencies and patrolling of the railway tracks has been intensified over various rail sections, WR CPRO Ravinder Bhakar has said.

Technical teams are monitoring critical railway assets and essentials like electricity supply with back-up diesel generators, signals and telecom and breakdown equipment.

Accident relief trains and accident relief medical vans are also on standby for any eventuality.

12:50 pm: Cyclone Ockhi is 230 km West-South West of Mumbai: Skymet Weather.

12:22 pm: Mumbai police confirms Bandra-Worli sealink is functional. Some rumours suggested that the sealink was going to be shut later in the day.

Bandra-Worli Sea Link is fully functional today as like any other day.

— Mumbai Police (@MumbaiPolice) December 5, 2017

12:15 pm: All roads leading to Dadar Chowpatty have been closed due to high tide. BMC has arranged accommodation in certain civic schools for those visiting Chaityabhumi in Dadar to pay tribute to Dr. Babasaheb Ambedkar.

12:10 pm: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over north Konkan during next 24 hours (Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, Greater Mumbai, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Pune districts) – National Disaster Management Authority

#Maharashtra: Light to moderate rainfall at most places with isolated heavy rainfall is also likely over north Konkan during next 24 hours (Palghar, Thane, Raigarh, Greater Mumbai, Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar and Pune districts).#CycloneOckhi

— NDMA India (@ndmaindia) December 5, 2017

12 pm: Prime Minister Narendra Modi tweets about cyclone Ockhi, says all assistance will be provided to those affected.

Continuously monitoring the situation arising in various parts of the country due to #CycloneOckhi. Spoke to all relevant authorities and officials. All possible assistance is being provided to those affected.

— Narendra Modi (@narendramodi) December 5, 2017

11:45 am: Moderate to heavy rainfall is expected to continue in parts of Mumbai till 1 am on Wednesday. The possibility of strong winds will be highest from 6 pm till midnight.

11:35 am: Cyclone Ockhi is roughly 300 km west of Mumbai, heading towards south Gujarat. Disaster management officials have urged Mumbaikars to avoid panicking and assured that necessary arrangements have been made.

“Please don’t create panic. MCGM along with other stakeholders have taken all necessary precautions,” it said.

11:15 am: A video depicting huge waves crashing against a bridge is being circulated on social media as the Bandra-Worli sealink. The video in question is not of the sealink and people are advised to ignore it and not share it further.

The sealink is open for traffic at the moment, although visibility is relatively low.

Drive on Bandra Worli Sea Link right now – Less traffic but low visibility #CycloneOckhi #MumbaiRains @TrafflineMUM @CNNnews18 pic.twitter.com/baDFt1a5Gw

— Radhika Ramaswamy (@radhika1705) December 5, 2017

11:10 am: The rainfall has affected the flow of traffic on both Western and Eastern express highway. Heavy rainfall has been reported in Worli, Dadar and Lower Parel areas.

11 am: A high tide measuring around 4.2 metres is expected to hit Mumbai coast at 12:39 pm today.

10:45 am: Both Western and Central Railway have deployed extra personnel for crowd control today. As of now, WR trains are running on time while those on CR are running 5-10 minutes late.

Flight operations have not been affected due to the prevailing weather conditions, a Public Relations Officer for Mumbai airport has said.

10:40 am: Traffic on the Mumbai-Pune expressway was hit early morning today due to a hailstorm. However, no mishaps have been reported till now.

10:35 am: According to SkyMet Weather, Santa Cruz has recorded 22 mm of rainfall while Colaba has witnessed 23 mm of rain in the last 24 hours (starting 8:30 am on Monday)

10 am: To ensure minimal loss of life, coast guard, navy and other agencies have been mobilised. So far, the state’s maritime agencies have already rescued over 100 boats and 1,500 fisherman that were caught in rough seas due to the cyclone.

9:30 am: The BMC’s disaster management team has advised citizens against visiting areas near the sea till Wednesday morning due to the high tide. Fishermen have also been instructed to not venture into the sea.

9 am: According to an IMD release, cyclone Ockhi is expected to be downgraded to a ‘deep depression’ from ‘cyclonic storm’ later today. By tomorrow morning, it will be categorised as a ‘depression’.

6 am: Maharashtra, including Mumbai, is expected to witness moderate rainfall in a few places, India Meteorological Department (IMD) has said. The rainfall will be coupled with strong winds, likely to go as high as 70 kmph. A high tide was also reported at 12:49 am.

Meanwhile, Maharashtra government has declared a precautionary holiday for schools in Mumbai Metropolitan, Sindhudurga, Thane, Raigad and Palghar districts. Colleges affiliated with Mumbai University, however, are functioning as scheduled.

Cyclone Ochki reached Maharashtra and Gujarat after wreaking havoc in Kerala, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep islands. The storm has claimed 19 lives till now and displaced countless others.

Satellite Image of cyclone Ockhi:

#NASAWorldview Image of the Week: Tropical Cyclone #Ockhi in the Arabian Sea, as observed by joint NOAA/NASA Suomi-NPP VIIRS on 12/3/17.https://t.co/loy1wWwWHd Interact w/image using Worldview: https://t.co/aGoVWvQ5QH pic.twitter.com/bUT9NhiSkD

— NASAEarthdata (@NASAEarthData) December 4, 2017