Mumbai’s Colaba area, which includes iconic landmarks such as the Gateway of India, received the heaviest single-day rain in August in 46 years on Wednesday.

The area recorded 331.8 mm rainfall over a period of 24 hours starting 8.30 am Wednesday.

Mumbai has already recorded 64 per cent of its month-to-month quota of rain within the first five days of August.

Earlier in the day, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) had warned that heavy rains and strong winds are likely to lash the city again over the next few hours.

“Mumbai city and suburbs are very likely to receive few spells of moderate to heavy rainfall (1-2 cm/hour) during next 3-4 hours accompanied with strongwinds reaching 60-70 kmph occasionally gusting to 80 kmph. During next 3-4 hours. Possibility of thunder/lightning in some areas,” the IMD tweeted.

Meanwhile, in the wake of evolving situation due to incessant rains, 16 National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) teams have been pre-positioned in Maharashtra – 5 teams in Mumbai, 4 teams in Kolhapur, 2 teams in Sangli, and 1 team each in Satara, Thane, Palghar, Nagpur, Raigad.

Heavy rains, accompanied by gusty winds of up to 70 kmph, lashed Mumbai city and suburbs, the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and coastal Konkan for the second consecutive day on Wednesday, hitting suburban train services and disrupting normal life.

In a rare development, many parts of south Mumbai like Churchgate, Marine Lines, Marine Drive, Kalbadevi, Dongri, Byculla, Mazagaon, Parel, Dadar and surroundings witnessed heavy waterlogging, throwing the central business district out of gear.

In some areas in south Mumbai, Kandivali, Dahisar, Kurla, Parel, Dadar, Wadala and Sion, water rushed into ground-floor homes, shops or offices as incessant rains continued all day, and the subways in Dahisar, Malad and Andheri were flooded, preventing east-west movement of traffic.

Two persons suffered injuries in a minor house crash in Bhandup, while there were more than 150 incidents of tree crashes in the city, and 10 incidents of electric short-circuits, but there were no fatalities.

Huge traffic snarls were witnessed in south Mumbai with trees falling on some roads in Churchgate, Marine Lines, Charni Road and Worli, hitting vehicular traffic on the Eastern and the Western Express Highways.

With thousands of commuters getting stranded, the BrihanMumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) on Wednesday evening said that it had made arrangements for people at 130 civic schools outside the major railway stations.

Heavy rains also lashed the adjoining coastal districts of Thane, Palghar, Raigad, Ratnagiri and Sindhudurg, besides downpours in Kolhapur, Satara, Sangli, and Pune.

In Ratnagiri and Raigad, more than 25 villages in two sub-districts remained cut off, while in Mahad town in Ratnagiri, rubber boats were deployed by disaster relief agencies to rescue several families stranded in at least four feet water, and 63 were saved from Sonyachi Gaon in Raigad district.

Rains pounded Palghar and Thane causing waterlogging in many towns like Mira Road, Bhiwandi, Kalyan, Ulhasnagar, Naigaon, Vasai, Virar and Dahanu.

Amid apprehensions of a 2005-like flood situation, Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray reviewed the monsoon situation and the state government has rushed 15 disaster relief teams for Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, Satara, Sangli and Kolhapur to help in any contingency.

He also asked people to stay indoors and venture out only for essential work and further directed Mumbai’s civic body BMC to stay on high alert.

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Wednesday assured all possible support to the Maharashtra Chief Minister regarding the situation prevailing in Mumbai and surrounding areas.

At least 2 people died while several are missing as heavy rains pounded Mumbai and nearby areas on Tuesday.