At 38.5°C, city sees its hottest ever June day in a decade

Only Santacruz and Dahanu have been affected. By Sunday, as the cyclone system moves northward, southwesterly winds will come in from the sea and should have a moderating effect on the temperature

Mumbai: The city on Saturday recorded the hottest June day in a decade as the maximum temperature settled at 38.5 degrees Celsius, six notches above normal. Wind speeds between 20 to 30 km per hour were observed, with gusts - strong, short winds - at 30 to 50 km per hour. Various parts of the city also witnessed rain late Saturday night.

Mumbai, India - June 10, 2023: People deal with strong gusty winds, at Girgaon Chowpatty, in Mumbai, India, on Saturday, June 10, 2023. (Photo by Anshuman Poyrekar/ Hindustan Times) (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT PHOTO)

The record for the highest temperature seen in June was 39.8 degrees Celsius, observed on June 14, 2007. The hottest day seen last year was June 10, when the maximum temperature was 35.2 degrees Celsius.

Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 34.5 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 29.0 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature recorded in Santacruz was 29.6 degrees Celsius.

The cause for the hike in heat, explained Sushma Nair, a scientist with the IMD’s regional forecasting centre in Mumbai, was southerly dry winds. “Only Santacruz and Dahanu have been affected. By Sunday, as the cyclone system moves northward, southwesterly winds will come in from the sea and should have a moderating effect on the temperature,” she said.

KS Hosalikar, head of IMD-Pune, said, “Despite cyclone Biparjoy being over 600 km away, all the winds over the coast were southerly winds, flowing from south to north. Due to this, the expected sea breeze was impeded. Another reason is the delay in monsoon, which is why we’re expecting temperatures to be higher in interior Maharashtra as well.” He added that the lack of clouds in the sky contributed to the heat.

According to the IMD’s forecast, the maximum temperature at Santacruz will drop to 37 degrees Celsius on Sunday, followed by 35 degrees Celsius till June 13, after which it will drop by another degree till June 16. Colaba is expected to see maximum temperatures of 35 degrees Celsius on Sunday, and 34 degrees Celsius till Tuesday, following which it will fall to 33 degrees Celsius.

There is a slight chance of pre-monsoon showers in Mumbai on Sunday. With the cyclone present in the east-central Arabian Sea, said Hosalikar, its progression northward will allow for southwesterly winds to bring monsoon to the coast.

“Monsoon has advanced into Karnataka. The conditions are favourable for it to strike Goa and parts of Maharashtra adjoining Goa in the next 48 hours. But as of yet, we cannot predict its entry into Mumbai,” said Nair. The normal date for monsoon’s arrival in Mumbai is June 11.