At 38.9 degrees Celsius, Mumbai sees hottest day of the year

Mumbai: The daytime temperatures climbed up a notch in Mumbai on Saturday, settling at 38

Mumbai: The daytime temperatures climbed up a notch in Mumbai on Saturday, settling at 38.9 degrees Celsius -- the highest of the season and six degrees above normal. Official forecasts suggest little respite from the heat in the coming days. Mumbai had previously seen its hottest day of the year on March 9, with a daytime maximum temperature of 37.5 degrees Celsius.

As per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMCD) seven-day forecast for Mumbai, daytime temperatures will remain consistently between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius until March 18 (Satish Bate/HT PHOTO)

Officials said the rise is expected with the summer approaching its peak, and also that delayed sea breeze on Saturday may have led to a sharp increase as compared to Friday’s 36.2 degrees Celsius reading. At 36.5 degrees Celsius, Colaba too recorded high temperature on Saturday.

As per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMCD) seven-day forecast for Mumbai, daytime temperatures will remain consistently between 36 and 38 degrees Celsius until March 18, while minimum temperatures will hover between 22 and 24 degrees Celsius.

Saturday’s minimum temperature settled at 23.2 degrees Celsius, as opposed to the highest reading this month of 25.6 degrees Celsius on March 8.

“Winds from the north are also becoming warmer and pushing up the city’s temperature as they blow over the region, which typically starts receiving more direct sunlight as the summer season progresses leading to a sharp climb in temperatures in March. It is not unusual,” said an official with the IMD’s regional forecasting centre in Mumbai.

Last year the highest recorded maximum temperature was 40.9 degrees on March 28. The all-time highest maximum temperature recorded in the city for March has been 41.7 degrees as recorded on March 28, 1956.