Mumbai lashed by half of London’s annual rainfall in just six hours as city comes to standstill

Your support helps us to tell the story

Support Now

Find out moreClose

As your White House correspondent, I ask the tough questions and seek the answers that matter.

Your support enables me to be in the room, pressing for transparency and accountability. Without your contributions, we wouldn't have the resources to challenge those in power.

Your donation makes it possible for us to keep doing this important work, keeping you informed every step of the way to the November election

Andrew Feinberg

White House Correspondent

A burst of exceptionally heavy rainfall has inundated the streets of Mumbai, bringing India’s financial capital to a standstill, disrupting flights and forcing the closure of schools and colleges.

Almost a foot of rainfall, nearly 300mm, fell on the city in a span of just six hours on Monday, city officials said.

This is more than half of the rainfall London gets in a year.

The rain started just ahead of the morning rush hour when traffic is at its peak in the city of 12 million people.

Photos showed commuters wading through water to try and reach their workplaces and cars sumberged on inundated roads, sparking public anger.

“There’s heavy traffic on the roads and rail lines too have been affected,” Eknath Shinde, the chief minister of Maharashtra, the western state whose capital is Mumbai, said on X, urging people to stay indoors.

Television visuals showed suburban passenger trains halted on inundated lines and commuters walking on tracks to reach their destination.

India’s weather department has predicted more rainfall and high tides in the coastal city, issuing a red alert.

Schools and colleges in Mumbai and neighbouring Thane, Navi Mumbai and Panvel were closed on Tuesday. Trains and flights were delayed and offices switched to work from home.

Mumbai is known for traffic congestion and it gets worse during the rainy season, yet the city police had announced road closures and restrictions between 12 and 15 July for the wedding celebrations of India’s richest family, sparking outrage.

The Ambanis have been hosting a series of highly publicised celebrations in the city and outside, with Justin Bieber and Rihanna providing entertainment, ahead of the wedding of their son Anant to Radhika Merchant, daughter of a pharma tycoon.

Mumbai experiences heavy flooding every year. This year rainfall has been heavier across India after a brutal heatwave.

Earlier, the national capital Delhi was inundated after two days of rainfall, prompting a roof collapse at the international airport.

“We’re definitely seeing more rain this year. It’s making it tough for people, especially in low-lying areas, to secure their belongings and reach shelters in time,” said Liakath Ali, head of climate change programme at development agency BRAC, told Reuters news agency.

Rain has also been lashing eastern India, Bangladesh and Nepal. A landslide triggered by heavy rainfall in Nepal killed 11 people over the weekend while lightning strikes killed 12 people in eastern India state of Bihar.

More than 2 million people have also been affected and 66 killed by rivers flooding in the northeastern state of Assam.