Flight operations suspended at the Mumbai airport due to heavy rain, several flights diverted. Here are the details

Update on 10: 50 PM:  11 Flight diverted so far because of the Mumbai Rains. Thai Airways while recounting the runway has hit a guard light. Some debris were found on the runway and the cleaning process is in progress.  

Mumbai got its first showers on Sunday and the city has been witnessing distributed rainfall accompanied by thunder since then. Flight operations have been suspended at the Mumbai airport due to heavy rain-led poor visibility. Several flights are holding in Mumbai airspace. One international United Airlines Newark-Mumbai flight has been diverted to Delhi. Also, a Go Air Delhi - Mumbai flight has been diverted to Ahmedabad. 

A recent statement coming from the Mumbai Airport PRO stated, "Due to heavy rains, the visibility has gone down, for which the operations are kept on hold. Runway 09 is handed over to ATC, and any time the operations will restart. United Airlines Newark-Mumbai has been diverted to Delhi."  (sic)

Parts of Mumbai got some respite from the sweltering heat as it received rainfall accompanied by thunder on Sunday night. Areas including Wadala, Ghatkopar, Mankhurd, Govandi, Bhandup, and Mulund among others recorded their first showers for the season. The maximum temperature was recorded at 35.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday while the minimum temperature was a normal 28.8 degrees Celsius, as per Indian Meteorological Department(IMD).

These rains can be attributed to the system brewing in the Arabian Sea which is currently a well-marked low-pressure area and is lying over the Southeast Arabian Sea and adjoining Lakshadweep and East Central Arabian Sea. The system will intensify into a depression further in the coming 24 to 36 hours and is predicted to subsequently move northwestwards and become a cyclonic storm. The intensity of rains in the capital is forecast to increase after June 11, where showers are expected to range from moderate to heavy.

Mumbai would witness monsoon officially by June 16 to 17, while pre-monsoon showers are likely to occur by next week, according to IMD.