Mumbai’s Colaba got hit by heaviest one-day rain in August since 1974

The heaviest one-day rain in August in 47 years in Mumbai, home to India’s financial markets and the central bank, inundated large parts of the mega city and disrupted businesses and services.

The Colaba weather station recorded 33.2 centimeters (13 inches) of rainfall in the 24 hours through 8:30 am Thursday, the highest downpour for a single day in August since at least 1974, according to the India Meteorological Department.

More spells of moderate to heavy rainfall are forecast for Thursday, accompanied by strong winds of as much as 80 kilometers per hour.

Heavy showers in the city may hamper its fight against the coronavirus pandemic. Mumbai is among the worst affected cities in the country, which has more than 1.8 million confirmed infections and close to 40,000 deaths.

Gusty winds, sometimes over 100 kilometers per hour, damaged the signage on the top of the 29-story building housing Asia’s oldest stock exchange in downtown Mumbai, and the fire brigade was called in to ensure it didn’t crash to the ground, BSE Ltd.’s Chief Executive Officer Ashish Chauhan tweeted Wednesday evening.