Unusual winter on cards: Pockets of Mumbai likely to experience ‘very light rain’; temperatures to soar

Speaking to The Indian Express, Sunil Kamble, director of IMD, Mumbai, said the city was unlikely to receive any respite from the higher-than-usual temperatures for the next one week at least. “Owing to a developing trough and the interaction of winds, the city is experiencing a rise in minimum temperatures which will continue for the next two or three days. Thereafter, too, the temperature will not see any drop for the next one week at least. Currently, the weather systems indicate no possibility of drop in the temperature below 20 degrees,” he said.

Kamble added that owing to the wind interactions, pockets of the city are also likely to experience “very light rain and cloudy weather” for the next two days.

On downpour, Kamble said, “Starting from Monday, Mumbai can expect ‘very light rain’ as well as cloudy weather. After Tuesday, some small pockets could also witness some very light showers on Wednesday. Thereafter, the sky will clear and there will be no rain.”

While the minimum temperatures indicated a departure of five degrees above normal, the maximum temperatures oscillated between 30 and 32 degrees Celsius in the city and its suburbs.

Even as residents reeled under the soaring minimum temperatures, the air quality showed an improvement on Monday morning with the overall air quality index touching 103. Of the city’s 24 stations, 12 recorded an AQI in two digits with the best score observed in Borivali East (75), followed by Mulund West (85) and Byculla (86). The worst air quality has been recorded in Powai, where the AQI stands at 125.

According to the weather bureau, the city is witnessing an improved AQI on account of the early arrivals of westerly winds. “Weather patterns greatly influence the AQI in the city. Whenever the westerlies arrive early in the morning the AQI is good, while the air quality is bad if the westerlies arrive after 2 pm. Since yesterday, we have observed that the city is getting westerlies between 11.30 and 12 pm. Therefore, the air quality is significantly better,” an IMD scientist told The Indian Express.