Mercury touches 39.5 degrees Celsius in Mumbai

A day after temperatures soared to 40.3 degree Celsius, Mumbaiites got some respite as the city recorded a marginal drop in day temperatures at 39.5 degree Celsius.

While Colaba recorded 35 degree Celsius, 3.4 degree Celsius above normal, mercury was 6.7 degrees Celsius above normal.

On Monday, Mumbai had recorded one of its hottest March days in the last five years at 40.3 degree Celsius, 7.5 degree Celsius above normal. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), for the fifth time in 11 years, day temperature touched 40°C in the month of March.

“We expect temperatures to fall from Wednesday night onwards with the setting in of sea breeze or cool westerly winds from the Arabian Sea at the right time. As of now, hot and dry north easterly winds continue to keep mercury levels high,” said Sunil Kamble, scientist, IMD.

The normal maximum temperature for March is 32.8 degrees Celsius, but mercury has been above normal levels since Saturday when the day temperature was recorded at 34.1 degrees Celsius. On Sunday, the maximum temperature rose to 36.7 degrees Celsius.

The weather bureau issued a forecast that the maximum temperature is expected to be 38 degree Celsius on Wednesday.

March-end is when the summer season begins to set in, hence the spike in temperature in Mumbai, said weather officials.

Meanwhile, moisture levels remained low on Tuesday as south Mumbai recorded 58% humidity, while the suburbs recorded 31% humidity.

The night temperature in the suburbs and south Mumbai increased on Tuesday as compared to normal temperatures since last Wednesday. Santacruz recorded 23.4 degrees Celsius, 1.3 degree Celsius above normal, while Colaba recorded 23.6 degrees Celsius, almost a degree Celsius above normal.

Interior parts of the state recorded the highest temperatures on Tuesday with Solapur, Jalgaon and Parbhani all recording 41 degree Celsius, while Pune was at 39 degree Celsius.

Meanwhile, high air pollution levels continued for the fourth consecutive day. The air quality index (AQI) was recorded in the ‘poor’ category at 246, which is expected to be 248 (poor) on Wednesday. Researchers said northeasterly winds were carrying dust over the city aggravating already existing pollution sources. A clear sky has been predicted for Wednesday with day and night temperatures expected at 38 and 23 degrees Celsius.