Wednesday was city’s hottest December day in 13 yrs, thanks to Fengal

The highest maximum temperature in Mumbai during December was recorded on December 4, 1987, when it reached 39.8 degrees Celsius

Mumbai: Mumbai experienced its hottest day in December in 13 years on Wednesday, as remnants of cyclone Fengal, which landfall in Tamil Nadu over the weekend, pushed up the maximum temperature at Santacruz, the city’s base weather station, to 37.3 degrees Celsius, 3.9 degrees above normal. At Colaba, the maximum temperature stood at 35 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees above normal, as per data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Wednesday was city’s hottest December day in 13 yrs, thanks to Fengal

Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD’s Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai, said remnants of cyclone Fengal in the Arabian Sea caused temperatures across the city to soar on Wednesday. “There were strong easterly winds over Mumbai which delayed the onset of the sea breeze that modulates the city’s temperature,” said Nair. Temperatures will continue to be high for the next one or two days, but not beyond 37 degrees. “From tomorrow (Thursday), the strength of easterlies will be less, and wind patterns will begin changing. We expect cooler climes after December 8,” said the scientist.

The highest maximum temperature in Mumbai during December was recorded on December 4, 1987, when it reached 39.8 degrees Celsius. Though the maximum temperature in December had crossed 36 degrees Celsius four times over the past 14 years, it hadn’t touched 37 degrees Celsius till Wednesday.

Nighttime temperatures also rose on Wednesday, with the suburbs recording a minimum of 25.5 degrees Celsius, 5.7 degrees above normal. In south Mumbai, the minimum temperature was 3.8 degrees above normal at 25.8 degrees Celsius. As per IMD’s climatological table, the daily mean maximum and minimum temperature in December should be 32.4 degrees Celsius and 18.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Meanwhile, the city’s overall air quality index (AQI) fell in the moderate (139) category in 26 of the 30 air quality monitoring stations. The primary pollutants were Ozone and PM2.5.