© 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.
Comment: See also: