Mumbai wakes up to slight nip in air as minimum temperature drops marginally

IMD had predicted a fall in temperatures for two or three days starting Sunday

The city and its suburbs woke up to a slight nip in the air on Monday morning as the minimum temperatures dropped marginally.

On Sunday, the maximum temperatures in the city and suburbs had dropped marginally owing to north and northwesterly winds. (Satish Bate/HT Photo)

Santacruz recorded a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, a sharp decline of 4.4 degrees from Sunday and 1.4 degrees below normal. Colaba, too, saw the minimum temperature drop from 21.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday to 18.8 degrees Celsius, a 1 degree dip from normal.

“The fall in temperature is mostly due to the cold northerly to northwesterly winds from the northern plains in association with the passage of a western disturbance,” KS Hosalikar, deputy director general of western region, Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said.

The IMD had predicted a fall in temperatures for two or three days starting Sunday.

On Sunday, the maximum temperatures in the city and suburbs had dropped marginally owing to north and northwesterly winds.

The lowest temperature recorded this season was 15.8 degrees Celsius on December 23. Last year, the lowest recorded temperature was 16.4 degrees Celsius and the year before, it was 14.4 degrees Celsius.

Air quality continued to remain poor on Monday. An overall air quality index (AQI)—a pollutant measuring indicator—reading of 252 (poor) was recorded on Monday morning. The AQI reading 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.

Air quality deteriorating is a routine phenomenon during winter as wind directions change and more wind blows from the land instead of the sea, according to a spokesperson from Safar.