Mumbai bids farewell to monsoon, temps continue to sizzle

Day-time temperatures continued to be above normal at both weather stations, with the suburbs being hotter than South Mumbai. Santacruz, the base weather station for Mumbai, recorded 37.4°C while the minimum temperature was normal at 24.6°C

MUMBAI: Mumbai on Saturday formally bid farewell to the South-West monsoon, bringing the 2026 rainy season to an earlier close. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) announced the withdrawal on October 3, with the transition already bringing hotter and drier conditions across Mumbai. It was the second earliest withdrawal in this century, the earlier one being in 2002 when the monsoon withdrew on Sept 30.

Mumbai bids farewell to monsoon, temps continue to sizzle

Day-time temperatures continued to be above normal at both weather stations, with the suburbs being hotter than South Mumbai. Santacruz, the base weather station for Mumbai, recorded 37.4°C while the minimum temperature was normal at 24.6°C. Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 36.5°C, which was 4.6 degrees above normal. The minimum temperature was also high at 26.8°C (1.5 degrees above normal).

IMD has placed the city under a yellow alert (hot and humid conditions) on Sunday and Monday when maximum temperatures could touch between 36 and 37 degrees Celsius in both South Mumbai and the suburbs.

This year’s monsoon was defined less by how much rain Mumbai received than its timing. June began with a deficit, July was exceptionally wet, and rainfall decreased sharply again in August and September. “The massive rainfall in July largely led to Mumbai rainfall being in the normal range despite a shortfall in three of the four monsoon months,” said Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD Mumbai. “Mumbai received roughly 60% of its annual rainfall quota in about 10 days spanning the end of June and the first week of July.”

The BMC is already factoring evaporation into its water planning. Additional municipal commissioner (projects) Abhijit Bangar recently said that the existing water stock in Mumbai’s seven lakes was projected to last until May 17, 2027, with rising temperatures potentially advancing this date. The civic body has therefore retained its 10% water cut despite lake levels reaching around 96% of capacity.

The withdrawal criteria used by the IMD include cessation of rainfall, establishment of an anticyclone and a marked reduction in atmospheric moisture. The withdrawal was based on these broader atmospheric indicators rather than the absence of rain on a particular day.

On Thursday, Santacruz recorded 34°C while Colaba touched 33°C. On Friday, Colaba recorded 37.4°C, its highest October temperature in at least 13 years.