At 18.7 degrees Celsius, Mumbai records season’s lowest temperature; more cold weather in store

Mumbai is likely to register a further drop in temperatures between January 2-3, the weather bureau said. Maximum temperatures meanwhile oscillated between 32-34 degrees Celsius.

Even as the city experienced a nip in the air amid the season’s lowest temperature, the maximum temperatures oscillated between 32-34 degrees Celsius. (Express file photo by Narendra Vaskar)

Mumbai recorded the coldest day of the season on Tuesday morning with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Santacruz observatory registering a minimum temperature of 18.7 degrees Celsius. The city is slated to register a further drop in temperatures in the first week of January, between January 2-3, scientists from the weather bureau said.

While the Santacruz station registered 18.7 degrees Celsius, which is one degree below the norm, the Colaba coastal observatory recorded 21.8 degrees Celsius while the automatic weather station at Chembur touched 20.6 degrees Celsius on the scales.

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sunil Kamble, director of IMD Mumbai, said, “The city is recording low temperatures owing to the influx of the northerly. Mumbai will continue to record temperatures between 19-20 degrees for the next two to three days. The temperature, thereafter, will depend on the western disturbances and its influence.”

“According to our current weather charts, the minimum temperatures can drop below 18 degrees and hover near 16 degrees in the first week of January, between January 2 – 3, owing to northerlies. This drop is likely to happen if there is heavy snowfall in the north. Besides this, even the maximum temperatures could drop below 30 degrees,” another official from IMD Mumbai said.

On the question of current weather developments, meanwhile, scientists maintained that while Mumbai is likely to witness temperatures between the range of 19-20 degrees Celsius until December 29, there could be an increase in the minimum temperatures following that, owing to the effect of western disturbances.

Even as the city experienced a nip in the air amid the season’s lowest temperature, the maximum temperatures oscillated between 32-34 degrees Celsius with the IMD Santacruz station registering 34.6 degrees Celsius, which is a departure of three degrees above the norm.

According to meteorologists, the maximum temperatures are influenced by the sea breeze. Kamble added, “The maximum temperatures depend on the sea breeze. If the sea breeze sets after 2 o’clock, then the maximum temperatures remain at the higher end.

First published on: 26-12-2023 at 14:02 IST