Mumbai logs month’s coldest morning at 15.9°C; cool spell to persist, AQI improves

Meteorologists attributed the drop in temperatures to the influx of northerly winds, which bring cool, dry air into the region.

Mumbai’s coldest temperature in January was logged in 1962, when the minimum temperature dipped to 7.1 degree Celsius. Its warmest day, meanwhile, was recorded at 37.4 degree Celsius in 2006.

According to IMD, minimum temperatures are expected to remain between 17 and 18 degree Celsius over the next few days, with a slight rise in both maximum and minimum temperatures likely between January 21 and 22. This will be followed by another dip from January 24, with nighttime temperatures around 17 degree Celsius and daytime highs staying below 30 degree Celsius.

IMD scientists have also forecast partly cloudy skies and haze over the next week, which is likely to affect visibility.

Despite hazy conditions, data from Maharashtra Pollution Control Board (MPCB) showed that Mumbai’s air quality improved significantly Monday with the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) touching 82. This marks an improvement from the past few weeks when the city’s AQI consistently fared in the moderate range of 100-200.

Of the 23 active monitoring stations, at least 19 pockets recorded ‘satisfactory’ AQI under 100, with the best AQI logged in Powai at 47. Meanwhile, the worst AQI in Mumbai was observed in Bandra East at 109, followed by 104 in Borivali East in the western suburbs.