Mumbai: The city witnessed the hottest day of the season so far on Thursday as the IMD Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 36°C, which was 4.6° above normal and a rise from Wednesday’s 32.9°C. The IMD Colaba observatory reported a high of 33.2°C, exceeding the average by 3.2° and Wednesday’s 30°C.
Morning temperatures continued to stay mild, with the IMD Santacruz observatory logging 16.5°C and the IMD Colaba observatory 20°C.
Last Feb, Mumbai’s highest temperature touched 37.5°C, while the month’s all-time record stands at 39.6°C, recorded on Feb 25, 1966.
For the weekend, IMD forecasts maximum and minimum temperatures of 34°C and 20°C, respectively. Weather experts attribute the rising temperatures to an influx of northwesterly winds, driven by an anti-cyclone along the western coast. Weather enthusiast Athreta Shetty predicted a heatwave from Feb 14-18, with Navi Mumbai, Kalyan-Dombivli, and Badlapur likely to see highs of 39-40°C, and Mumbai’s suburbs 36-37°C.