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Day after Mumbai woke up to season’s coldest morning, mercury rises
The Colaba weather station, which is indicative of the temperature in south Mumbai, recorded a minimum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, up from Friday’s 17.5 degree Celsius but 0.5 degrees Celsius below normal
The temperatures in Mumbai soared on Saturday after almost a week of cold conditions.
The Santacruz station of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), which is indicative of the temperature in suburbs and Mumbai, recorded a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, which was 1.5 degrees below normal. On Friday, Mumbai recorded the lowest minimum temperature of the season at 14.8 degrees Celsius.
The Colaba weather station, which is indicative of the temperature in south Mumbai, recorded a minimum temperature of 19 degrees Celsius, up from Friday’s 17.5 degree Celsius but 0.5 degrees Celsius below normal.
KS Hosalikar, deputy director general (western region), IMD, had anticipated rise in temperature after Friday. “Mumbai Santacruz recorded lowest min temperature of this season today morning from Dec 2020. No large change expected in next 24 hrs. Thereafter gradual rise (of temperature is expected),” he had tweeted on Friday.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperatures, too, increased slightly on Saturday. At Santacruz, the maximum temperature was 32.9 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degrees above normal and up from Friday’s 30.5 degrees Celsius. Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 31.4 degrees Celsius, which was 1.1 degrees above normal and up from Friday’s 29.5 degrees Celsius.
On Saturday, the air quality improved marginally from Friday’s 290, but continued to remain in the poor category. An overall air quality index (AQI) — an air quality indicator— of 286 was measured.
The AQI was calculated by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) as the average of indices recorded at 10 locations in the city and suburbs. SAFAR categorises AQI levels for PM2.5 in the 0-50 range as good; 51-100 as satisfactory; 101-200 as moderate; 201-300 as poor; 301-400 as very poor and above 400 as severe.
Of the 10 locations, Malad had the worst it quality with an AQI of 329, followed by Andheri with AQI of 323 and Mazagaon with an AQI of 311, all in the very poor category.
“Air quality of Mumbai is in the poor category due to the presence of calm wind conditions prevailing in the city and the surrounding regions. Local pollution is not getting dispersed and leading to poor AQI in Mumbai. With current calm weather condition, local emission with continental pollution to keep the AQI from poor to very poor for Mumbai in the next two days,” according to a short range forecast by SAFAR.
