Mumbai sees light drizzle as air quality worsens

In the intervening night of Friday and Saturday, several pockets of South Mumbai as well as suburbs were taken by surprise as light drizzle swept the city.

Data furnished by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed that while the Santacruz observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 21 degrees, which is nearly 4 degrees above the normal, the Colaba coastal station registered 21.6 degrees on the mercury scales.

Sunil Kamble, director of IMD Mumbai, told The Indian Express that the showers, albeit short-lived, were a result of the interaction of wind phenomenon.

“Owing to the interaction of winds in the upper air, we had already issued yellow and orange alerts in several districts of the state. It was this phenomenon that brought Mumbai showers during the night. However, no more rain is on cards for the city. Meanwhile, in the other regions of the state too, we have issued a yellow alert for the day (Saturday), after which the rain will subside and stop subsequently,” explained Kamble.

According to Kamble, the city is likely to see yet another dip in temperatures during the New Year Eve amid forecasts of a western disturbance. “Once the western disturbance passes, we will receive northerly winds, which are likely to bring down the temperatures in the city around December 31st and January 1.”

Data furnished by the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) reflected that none of the city’s stations recorded ‘poor’ or ‘satisfactory’ air, which encompasses the 0-100 category. PM2.5 was amongst the most prominent pollutants across the city.