Mumbai: For the third straight day, Mumbai woke up to a pleasant chill as minimum temperatures hovered around 15 degree Celsius. The India Meteorological Department, though, has predicted a gradual rise in minimum temperatures in the coming days.
While IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded minimum temperature of 15 degrees, which was three degrees below normal, the one at Colaba recorded 20 degrees, one degree below normal.
In its forecast for Dec 18, the weather bureau stated: “Hazy conditions are expected in the suburbs during the morning hours, clearing up to a clear sky by afternoon and evening across the city and suburbs. Maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 34 degree and 17 degree Celsius.”
Furthermore, day temperatures in the city were slightly above normal. IMD’s Colaba and Santacruz observatories recorded maximum temperatures of 32.5 degrees and 34.6 degrees, respectively, around one degree above normal in both cases.
The city’s minimum temperatures have been fluctuating over the past many days. On Dec 15, the minimum temperature recorded by IMD Santacruz was 16.3 degrees, which dropped to 14 degrees on Dec 16 and rose to 15 degrees on Dec 17. The all-time lowest temperature recorded for Mumbai for Dec was 10.6 degrees on Dec 20, 1949.
An IMD official said currently in the afternoons, westerly winds are setting in late. “This results in a spike in day-time temperatures. Meanwhile, due to the change in winds, we are receiving strong northerly winds at night that lead to a dip in temperature.”
