Mumbai: The city experienced yet another hot day as temperatures soared to 36.7°C at the IMD Santacruz observatory, 5.3°C above normal. The Colaba observatory recorded 32.9°C, exceeding the average by 2.9°C. Just a day earlier, IMD Santacruz and Colaba observatories recorded 36°C and 33.2°C, respectively. In its forecast for the next 24 hours, hot weather conditions are expected to continue, with the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories likely to log 37 degrees and 20 degrees, stated the weather bureau. Last February, Mumbai’s highest temperature reached 37.5°C, while the all-time record for the month stands at 39.6°C, recorded on February 25, 1966.
December to February are considered to be winter months in Mumbai. Weather experts attributed the unusual temperature spike to an anticyclone system along the western coast, bringing in warmer northwesterly winds. Meteorologists also said that the lack of western disturbances has blocked the flow of northerly winds, which typically bring cooler conditions to Mumbai during winter.