MUMBAI, Aug. 16 -- After a brief period of occasional drizzles, the monsoon has picked up pace. On Friday, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) declared an orange alert, indicating a heavy downpour, in Mumbai and Thane for today and tomorrow. There was a yellow alert, indicating moderate to heavy rainfall, in Palghar, Thane, and Mumbai on Friday. Rains are expected to intensify in Palghar from Sunday and continue till August 19. Raigad and Ratnagiri, which are under an orange alert until next Tuesday, are expected to receive extensive rainfall too. Shubhangi Bhute, IMD Mumbai's director, attributed the heavy rain forecast to a low-pressure area formed in the Bay of Bengal off north Andhra Pradesh and a trough that runs up to the Arabian Sea. "The rainfall activity in Maharashtra is likely to stay intense over the next week," she said. In the 24 hours ending at 8.30 am on Friday, the city's weather observatory in Colaba received 45.2mm of rainfall, and Santacruz station logged 11.5mm in 24 hours. In light of the orange alert, meaning severe weather conditions that could majorly disrupt daily life, the weather bureau advised people to stay indoors....