Heavy traffic on Mumbai’s Western Express Highway because of rain
© Satyabrata Tripathy /HTHeavy traffic on Mumbai’s Western Express Highway because of rain on Tuesday morning.
Owing to Cyclone Ockhi, the city recorded the highest-ever December rainfall on Tuesday, in just 12 hours. Rainfall during 8.30am-8.30pm at the IMD's Santacruz observatory was 36mm, which beat the previous record of 31.4mm, recorded on December 12, 1967.

As Ockhi came close to the city on Tuesday, it brought in a day full of rains and gusty winds, leading to a steep drop in temperatures. The maximum temperatures recorded at both the Santacruz and Colaba observatories were 10 degrees lower than on Monday. As a result, at several places, noon-time unusually was much cooler than dawn. Also, there was barely a two-degree difference between maximum and minimum temperatures at most places.

Ockhi's threat had prompted the government to keep schools shut, which lead to an easing of school-time traffic. For adults, it was business as usual, barring minor absenteeism, though organizations had issued advisories to employees. While rainfall was moderate, rumour mongers were busy creating panic with fake news on the sea link and various roads, prompting the BMC to tweet: "Please don't create panic." In fact, no transport disruption was reported from anywhere in the city. The trains ran, as did the buses and cars.

The BMC also had to make special arrangements in municipal and private schools in Dadar and Parel to shelter about 20,000 followers of Dr BR Ambedkar who thronged Chaityabhoomi in large numbers for Ambedkar's death anniversary, observed on December 6. As many as 1.5 lakh followers are known to have already visited the site, with 6 lakh expected on Wednesday. Three persons were injured on Tuesday as a pandal at Shivaji Park fell on them.

Meanwhile, all 2,606 boats and other vessels off the state's coast since Saturday have been accounted for, and no fishermen are missing. Passenger boat services, suspended because of Ockhi, are likely to resume on Wednesday.

Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, scientist and head of the cyclone warning division at IMD, said that till Tuesday noon cyclone Ockhi was 230km west southwest of Mumbai. "In the evening it was closest to Mumbai (around 100km) and moved north-northeastwards and weakened gradually. From Wednesday it will be clear," he said.