At 26.5°C, Mumbai sees coldest January day since 2014

At 26.5 degrees Celsius, Saturday was the coldest January day in Mumbai since 2014. The weather bureau said cool conditions would continue on Sunday, too, with the

At 26.5 degrees Celsius, Saturday was the coldest January day in Mumbai since 2014. The weather bureau said cool conditions would continue on Sunday, too, with the possibility of the night temperature dropping to 14 degrees Celsius.

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The lowest maximum temperature on January 12, 2014, was 26 degrees Celsius.

Cool conditions continued for the second consecutive day in the city, as the maximum temperature recorded at the Santacruz weather observatory, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, was 26.5 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degrees Celsius below the normal mark. This was also the lowest maximum temperature for the season so far. The Colaba weather station, representative of south Mumbai, recorded 26 degrees Celsius, 4.5 degree Celsius below normal, also the lowest for the weather station this season.

“The city is experiencing cold and dry winds from northern parts of the country. This wind pattern is expected to continue for another day. It is also leading to a drop in moisture levels,” said SG Kamble, scientist, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

The minimum temperature on Saturday, too, was almost 2 degrees Celsius below normal as the suburbs recorded 15.5 degrees Celsius, while 17.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in south Mumbai. KS Hosalikar, deputy director general (western region), IMD, said, “Wind pattern is playing a major role in lowering temperatures. However, the wind direction is likely to change by Monday to warmer southeasterly winds. This will increase the possibility of a gradual rise in temperatures in Mumbai and central parts of the state.”

Private weather forecasting agency Skymet said cold conditions are expected to return for Mumbai again on January 9 to 10. “As the western disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir is likely to fade away by then, cold northerly winds will make a return from January 9 onwards over Rajasthan, Gujarat, and many parts of Maharashtra, leading to low temperatures,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president (meteorology and climate change), Skymet. Meanwhile, the air quality index (AQI) dropped from 210 (poor) on Saturday morning to 200 (moderate) by the evening.

A clear sky has been predicted for Sunday with day and night temperatures expected at 27 and 14 degrees Celsius, while the AQI is expected to be 208 (poor).