Mumbai boils amid heatwave in other parts of state

IMD data for this past month shows a gradual increase in daytime temperatures, increasing from an average maximum of 33.2 degrees Celsius between April 1-7 to 37 degrees Celsius between April 22-28.

Mumbai: Amid the ongoing heatwave across Maharashtra’s interior districts, temperatures in Mumbai too have been consistently high over the past 10 days.

A youth washes his face for little respite in the sweltering heat as mercury rises in Mumbai, on April 28, 2022. (Anshuman Poyrekar/HT Photo)

As per information from the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) monitoring station in Santacruz, Mumbai has seen above normal day temperatures since April 19, with two significant spikes on April 21 and April 24, when the mercury touched 38.9 and 38.5 degrees respectively, the former being Mumbai’s hottest day of the year so far, and the hottest April day in eight years.

IMD data for this past month shows a gradual increase in daytime temperatures, increasing from an average maximum of 33.2 degrees Celsius between April 1-7 to 37 degrees Celsius between April 22-28. Mumbai’s average daily maximum between April 15-21 was 34.2 degrees Celsius, showing an accelerated warming up of the city in the last week alone, which officials attributed to heat wave like conditions in other parts of the country.

“Though there is no heat wave warning for coastal Maharashtra, citizens in Mumbai and other parts of the Konkan will be feeling the discomfort. Prevailing winds are blowing from the north-west, and transporting hot, dry air over the region, and since it is getting hotter in other parts, there will be a corresponding increase in temperature over Mumbai as well. However, the phenomenon of sea breeze will regulate the weather,” said DS Pai, director at the Institute for Climate Change Studies (ICCS), Kerala, and former climate scientist at IMD, Pune.

At 37 degrees Celsius, which is four degrees above normal, Santacruz also happened to record the highest maximum temperature on Thursday from the IMD’s five monitoring locations in the Konkan. Dahanu came second at 36.7 degrees Celsius, followed by 35.2 degrees in Colaba, 35.1 degrees in Alibaug, and 34.5 degrees in Ratnagiri.

“Mumbai being an urban centre, with a large population, increasing concretisation, reduced tree cover, and lots of vehicular emissions, will no doubt experience higher temperatures than other stations in the region. The city itself is a heat trap,” Pai added. “Mumbai and the Konkan region will also see higher temperatures spread across the night hours due to humidity,” said KS Hosalikar, head of the IMD’s surface instrument division in Pune.

Public health experts have advised citizens, particularly those belonging to vulnerable groups, to remain indoors as much as possible. Dr Dileep Mavlankar, who heads the Indian Institute of Public Health in Gandhinagar, said, “For coastal cities, the IMD should also publish the ‘wet bulb’ temperature during heat waves in other parts of the country. When humidity is high, a temperature of 37 degrees can feel like 40 degrees to the human body. You can drink a lot of water, which will prevent dehydration, but it won’t actually cool you down,” he said.

As per official forecasts, Mumbai may see some respite from the heat over the weekend, with maximum temperatures expected to dip to 35 degrees Celsius by Sunday, unlike in eastern parts of the state where temperatures are expected to remain high.