At 37.9°C, city records hottest day of season
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 37.9 degrees Celsius, which is seven degrees above normal, at Santacruz weather station, which is representative of Mumbai. South Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 35.3 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal
Mumbai: The city on Saturday witnessed the hottest day of this season with the daytime maximum temperature inching closer to 38 degrees Celsius.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 37.9 degrees Celsius, which is seven degrees above normal, at Santacruz weather station, which is representative of Mumbai. South Mumbai recorded a maximum temperature of 35.3 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal. Humidity levels in the suburbs saw a significant drop from 60% at 8.30 am to 24% at 5.30pm, while it dropped from 72% at 8.30am to 59% at 5.30pm in south Mumbai.
The IMD has predicted that maximum temperatures in the next two days are very likely to be in the range of 37 to 39 degrees in many parts of Maharashtra, Goa and Gujarat coasts. Minimum temperatures are also very likely to rise gradually by 2 to 3 degrees over most parts of Maharashtra, northwest and central India in the next four to five days.
While clarifying that there were no heatwave conditions in the state, KS Hosalikar, head, IMD-Pune, attributed the soaring temperature to easterly winds over the coast as well as interiors of the state. “Over the coast, these dry and warm winds delay the daily sea breeze from early to late afternoon. Basically, the easterly winds rather disturb the sea breeze,” Hosalikar added.
Meanwhile, the significant variation in the day and night temperatures over Mumbai continued, with a difference of almost 20 degrees Celsius. At Santacruz, the minimum temperature, which is recorded at 5.30am, was one degree above normal at 19.4 degrees Celsius.
In the five days starting February 9, the city breached 36 degrees Celsius thereby signalling the end of the winter season– first owing to an anticyclonic circulation over South India, which diminished the influence of cooling sea breezes over the city, and due to dry and warm easterly winds.
On February 16, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius, seven degrees above normal, at Santacruz weather station. On February 13, the IMD recorded a maximum temperature of 37.3 degrees Celsius, while it was 36.3 degrees on the previous day. On February 9, the city with 36.4 degrees Celsius was the second warmest station in the state after Ratnagiri which clocked a maximum temperature of 37 degrees.
The IMD officials had then told HT that the increase in temperature over the city and the state was due to an anticyclonic over the southwest Arabian sea which was not uncommon for this time of the year. “It is interfering with the influence of the cooling sea breeze over the Konkan. The land gets heated during the day but does not cool down as much during evenings,” the IMD official said.
