Amid the forecast of a significant jump in temperature over the next couple of days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) sounded a yellow alert for hot and humid conditions in Mumbai as well as neighbouring districts of Thane, Palghar, and Raigad for Tuesday.
The hot spell, however, is likely to be short lived with the weather bureau indicating a dip in heat levels after Thursday.
Even as Maharashtra is sweltering under extremely warm weather conditions with pockets like Chandrapur recording 45.6 degree Celsius Monday, Mumbai has remained relatively cooler. On Monday, for instance, Mumbai’s Santacruz as well as the Colaba coastal observatories registered normal maximum temperatures of around 33.5 degree.
The minimum temperatures, in fact, dipped below seasonal normal in the suburbs as well as the island city division Tuesday with the Santacruz observatory registering 23.5 degree, which is a departure of 1.4 degrees below the normal. In what further ushered in some respite for the city, the humidity levels also logged a stark drop of 6 per cent below the normal as it hovered around 65 per cent Tuesday morning.
Meteorologists have attributed the present spell of temperatures to northwesterly winds, which the MET bureau’s inference charts indicate have generally prevailed in the lower level over the region as of Monday.
However, starting Tuesday, IMD issued a yellow warning of hot and humid conditions in isolated pockets for Mumbai as well as its neighbouring districts. While Mumbai has been placed under a yellow alert on Tuesday, neighbouring pockets like Thane and Raigad were issued an extended yellow alert until Wednesday at least.
While no heatwave has been declared in the city, the weather bureau said in its forecast bulletin that Mumbai’s maximum temperatures are likely to spike over 36 degree between Tuesday and Wednesday — marking a significant jump from the past few days. Meanwhile, neighbours like Thane are forecast to see their mercury levels climb to highs of up to 39 degree Celsius by Wednesday.
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Meanwhile, after Thursday, the temperatures are slated to see yet another drop to 34 degree in Mumbai.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Mahesh Palawat, Vice-President (Meteorology), Skymet Weather Services, said a spike in temperatures is anticipated for the next two to three days owing to the influx of northerly winds from warmer regions.
“Currently, northwesterly winds from the seas have controlled temperatures in Mumbai. However, the region will soon see the arrival of northerly winds, which will be coming in from Gujarat, North Maharashtra, and Madhya Pradesh, that will result in a temperature spike over the next two to three days,” said Palawat.