Why is it so hot in Mumbai

On December 16, Mumbai’s day temperature as recorded in the IMD Santacruz observatory was 35.6 degrees which was the day’s highest temperature in the country.

The city’s night temperature dipped below 20 degrees four times last month, which led to Mumbaikars experiencing a nip in the year, while in December the city recorded night temperature below 20 degrees only once so far.

Why is the city experiencing unusual weather conditions?

Weather experts and meteorologists have attributed the current weather conditions to the change in wind patterns. IMD scientist Sushma Nair said that the current weather condition is entirely normal since Mumbai does not come across heavy winter conditions.

“Every year during December the city experiences day temperatures above 30 degrees for quite a few days. The same thing is happening now. The reason mainly behind this condition is moist winds blowing through and around Mumbai from parts of Maharashtra, that is now allowing the temperature to go down,” Nair told The Indian Express.

Mahesh Palawat, a weather expert and meteorologist from Skymet Weathers Private Limited, stated that the temperature would cool down once the north-easterly winds start blowing over the major parts of the city.

“For the past 20 days, Mumbai has been experiencing south-easterly winds continuously. These winds are blowing from the land and are delaying the sea breeze by 2-3 hours which is why the city is unable to experience cooler temperatures now,” Palawat told The Indian Express.

When will winter arrive?

While weather experts have said that there is no firm clarity on when the temperature would drop, they predicted that the residents may experience a sudden nip in the air sometime between Christmas and New Year’s eve.

“The city has recorded the day temperature around 35 degrees between December 16 and 18 continuously. However, on Monday (December 19) there was a marginal drop. We can expect the temperature to further go down by the end of this year,” Nair said.

Palawat, however, said that considering the current trend in air movement and daily temperature, the night and day temperatures may only fall after December 25.

“Mumbai will start experiencing north-easterly winds only from later this week. That will lead to a drop in temperature. Currently, north Indian states and cities are experiencing a drop in temperature along with Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, one could assume that the day and night temperature may see a drop by the end of this year or early January,” Palawat said.