Mumbai: Warm days, cool nights put residents under the weather

While the maximum temperature on Sunday at the Santacruz weather station was 30.7 degrees Celsius, the minimum fell down to 14.4 degrees Celsius.

If you are sniffling, coughing or are down with fever, blame it on the fluctuating weather. For the past week, while the days have been warm with average temperatures above 30 degrees Celsius, nights have been considerably cooler, with the mercury below 20 degrees on most days, falling as low as 13.9 degrees on Thursday.

While the maximum temperature on Sunday at the Santacruz weather station was 30.7 degrees Celsius, the minimum fell down to 14.4 degrees Celsius.

In Colaba, the maximum temperature recorded was 29.2 degrees Celsius, the minimum was 19.8 degrees Celsius.

The contrast on Saturday was sharper, with a maximum of 32.5 degrees and a minimum of 14.2 degrees at Santacruz. In Colaba, the figures were 32.6 and 20 degrees respectively.

Doctors say cases of cough, cold and viral infection have been on a rise over the past week.

“While travelling early morning, one should cover the nose. Use warm clothes and mufflers and keep the body warm to avoid viral infections,” said Dr K Bajan, physician, PD Hinduja Hospital.

The minimum temperature at the Santacruz weather station, considered the standard for the city, was 2.5 degrees Celsius below normal on Sunday. “Winds are still northerly and north-easterly and the cold weather in the north has influenced the weather here, causing a fall in day temperatures,” said VK Rajeev, director, western region, India Meteorological Department.

Rajeev added, “Minimum temperatures for the next two days are likely to be around 14 degrees Celsius and maximum temperatures to be around 30 degrees Celsius.”

With the weather making people vulnerable to infections, doctors have advised caution. “With unpredictable weather, people should be careful while sneezing or coughing at crowded places, as this can spread infection. We saw several cases of infection in the lower respiratory tract last week,” said Dr Bajan.