October feels like peak summer: Mumbai sizzles at 38°C, festive shoppers seek refuge in cool drinks

While mornings offered some relief compared with the past few days, with the minimum temperature settling at a near-normal 24.6°C, the respite was short-lived. Humidity levels fell from 70% in the morning to 46% by evening, making the heat predominantly warm and dry rather than the sticky, humid conditions Mumbai is more accustomed to

MUMBAI: The city felt more like the peak of summer on Sunday, as the mercury soared to 38°C, leaving it sweltering under an unseasonable spell of heat. For those stepping out to shop for the festive season, the day presented an added challenge: negotiating crowded markets and shopping streets while looking for ways to cool down, with cold drinks, ice cream and coolers offering welcome respite from the scorching afternoon.

Mumbai, India. Oct 07, 2026 - A man used a portable fan to protect himself from the October heat at Azad Maidan, as temperatures reached 34°C to 37°C with high humidity. Mumbai, India. Oct 07, 2026. (Photo by Raju Shinde/HT Photo) (Raju Shinde)

The city’s daytime temperature breached the 37°C mark for the fourth time in as many days, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recording a maximum of 38°C at its Santacruz observatory, Mumbai’s benchmark weather station. The reading was 4.9°C above normal and brought the city uncomfortably close to its October record of 38.6°C, recorded in 2015. IMD data dating back to 2013 also shows the mercury touching 38°C in 2018.

While mornings offered some relief compared with the past few days, with the minimum temperature settling at a near-normal 24.6°C, the respite was short-lived. Humidity levels fell from 70% in the morning to 46% by evening, making the heat predominantly warm and dry rather than the sticky, humid conditions Mumbai is more accustomed to.

The IMD has attributed the above-normal temperatures to an anti-cyclone near Mumbai and easterly winds, which are delaying the onset of the sea breeze that typically brings relief to the city. With that cooling influence held back, the October heat has continued to linger well beyond what residents would ordinarily expect from the season.

There is little immediate relief in sight. The IMD has forecast hot and humid conditions for Monday, with a maximum temperature of 37°C and a minimum of 26°C.

Meanwhile, Mumbai’s overall 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) stood at 99, in the satisfactory category, based on readings from 22 of the city’s 30 monitoring stations. However, the citywide figure concealed pockets of significantly poorer air quality. BKC (IITM) recorded an AQI of 287, classified as poor, while five other stations — BKC (BMC), Deonar, Mazagaon, Navy Nagar and Worli — recorded readings above 100.