Red Alert Issued for Pune Ghat Areas as Monsoon Strengthens Across Maharashtra
Pune, July 6, 2025 — The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a red alert for the ghat regions of Pune district, warning of extremely heavy rainfall and strong winds over the next 48 hours as the southwest monsoon gains momentum across Maharashtra.
Officials have urged people to avoid traveling to hilly and landslide-prone areas, especially in the Western Ghats. “We expect a sharp rise in rainfall on July 6 and 7 in the ghat sections of Pune and parts of Madhya Maharashtra,” an IMD official said, adding that wind gusts could reach up to 55 kmph.
The IMD’s five-day forecast also predicts heavy to very heavy rainfall along the Konkan coast, including in Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg. While Pune’s ghats are under the highest red alert, other districts like Mumbai, Thane, and Dhule have been placed under orange and yellow alerts, reflecting moderate to heavy rain expectations.
The recent spell of heavy rain has already led to casualties. In separate incidents on Saturday, two people died in Nashik—one after falling into a gorge and another from a tree collapse—and a person drowned in floodwaters in Thane.
Weather Systems Behind the Alert
Meteorologists say multiple systems are driving this surge. “An upper air cyclonic circulation over northern Gangetic West Bengal, extending up to 7.6 km and slightly tilting southward, is likely to develop into a low-pressure area within 24 hours,” the official noted.
Additionally, a trough from the northeastern Arabian Sea to this system, along with an offshore trough from south Gujarat to Karnataka, is expected to intensify rainfall over western and central India.
While Pune’s ghats remain on red alert, neighboring districts like Satara and Nashik are under orange alerts for the next two days, which could later downgrade to yellow alerts depending on how the monsoon systems evolve.
Meanwhile, Pune city itself, initially forecast for only light showers, has now been upgraded to a moderate rainfall alert, with short but intense spells likely in the evenings and nights.
