Mumbai receives unseasonal light showers on Friday, minimum temperature still high

Unseasonal rainfall was also recorded from parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, across Raigad district, and other areas along south Konkan between Thursday night and Friday morning

The city woke up to unseasonal, light showers on Friday morning owing to the presence of a low pressure weather system in the Arabian Sea. Though the showers did not bring any relief from the high minimum temperature on Friday, the city witnessed its coolest December day since 2014. The city is likely to witness cloudy sky with the possibility of light rain or thundershowers on Saturday.

Mumbai witnesses a sudden change in weather accompanied with drizzle on Friday morning. (Vijayanand Gupta/HT photo)

The Colaba weather observatory, representative of south Mumbai, received 3mm of rainfall from the early hours of Friday to 8.30am, while the Santacruz station, representative of the suburbs and Mumbai, recorded 0.2 mm of rain. Humidity levels were 92% in south Mumbai and 79% in the suburbs. Between 8.30am and 5.30pm, light rain at 1.4mm was recorded in south Mumbai and at 0.7 mm in suburbs. It was mostly dry weather with a partly cloudy sky from afternoon.

As a result of light showers and cloudy conditions, the maximum temperature in the suburbs was 28.8 degrees Celsius (4 degree Celsius below normal and a 4 degree Celsius drop since Thursday), making it the lowest maximum temperature for the month since 2014. On December 31, 2014, the city had recorded 27.8 degrees Celsius, but the lowest for the decade was recorded on December 13, 2010, at 26.5 degrees Celsius.

South Mumbai on Friday recorded 28 degrees Celsius (5 degree Celsius below normal) as the maximum temperature.

Rain in the early hours of Friday till 8.30am was 3mm in south Mumbai and 0.2mm in the suburbs (Satyabrata Tripathy/HT photo)

Conversely, the minimum temperature in the suburbs was 24.4 degrees Celsius, 5.6 degrees Celsius above normal – the second highest December minimum temperature in 10 years. The highest was recorded last year on December 5 at 25.3 degrees Celsius. South Mumbai recorded 24 degrees Celsius, 3 degree Celsius above normal, on Friday.

Meanwhile, unseasonal rainfall was also recorded from parts of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region, across Raigad district, and other areas along south Konkan between Thursday night and Friday morning.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had issued a forecast for light showers or drizzling for Friday, and revised the forecast at 8am to the possibility of thunderstorms for the rest of Friday and Saturday.

“There are two reasons for this type of weather,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD, adding that the first being the low pressure weather system over southeast and now adjoining southwest Arabian Sea, and cloud bands extending from it spreading right from south Gujarat, north Maharashtra, and over the Konkan coast. The second was the western disturbance extending from the northern parts of the country all the way up to northwest and western India.

“As it passes, there is an interaction of westerly and easterly winds in and around the north Maharashtra region. This could result in light to moderate rains for north central Maharashtra and isolated areas along the Konkan coast,” he said.

Rain during December is rare phenomenon for the city. However, last year 1.2mm of rainfall was recorded on December 5 owing to a weather depression in the Arabian Sea. Between December 5 and 6, 2017, Mumbai suburbs recorded 53.8mm rainfall, while south Mumbai recorded 82.2mm, as Cyclone Ockhi went past the city. It was also the all-time high December rain for Mumbai.

Meanwhile, the city received rain two days after recording the highest maximum temperature in the country on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to IMD. From 36.4 degrees Celsius on Tuesday to 36 degrees Celsius on Wednesday, the maximum temperature began dropping from Thursday to 33.8 degrees Celsius.

Meanwhile, the air quality index (AQI) was at 145 (moderate) with hazy conditions on early Friday but researchers said showers would help improve the AQI over the weekend. An AQI of 139 (moderate) has been predicted for Saturday.