Mumbai Chills! City Wakes Up To Coldest Morning In Decade At 16.2°C; IMD Says, 'Winter Still Weeks Away'

Mumbai: Mumbai witnessed an unusually chilly start on Wednesday as the city recorded its coldest November morning in at least a decade. The Santacruz observatory registered a minimum temperature of 16.2 degrees Celsius, marking a sharp drop of nearly five degrees below normal for this time of year.

The reading stands out as the lowest November minimum since at least 2014, showing the intensity of the early-season cold spell that has gripped the city. In contrast, the Colaba observatory, situated along the coast, reported a relatively milder 21.6 degrees Celsius, highlighting the temperature divide often seen between inland and coastal pockets of Mumbai.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai has been experiencing an early onset of winter-like conditions this November. The shift began on November 9, when minimum temperatures slipped below 20 degrees Celsius for the first time this season. Since then, the mercury has continued to fall steadily, dipping below the normal range for multiple days and culminating in Wednesday’s record-breaking low.

Coldest Morning Witnessed In Nearly A Decade

According to a report by The Indian Express accessing the IMD, this is Mumbai’s coldest November morning in at least ten years, surpassing the previous decade-low of 16.3 degrees recorded on November 11, 2016. The only other instance of the mercury hovering near 16 degrees in recent years was in 2024, when the temperature touched 16.5 degrees.

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While this week’s chill has stirred excitement among residents, meteorologists caution that winter is technically still weeks away. According to the report, IMD classified that January and February as the official winter months for Mumbai, noting that the current cool spell is largely the result of persistent northerly and north-easterly winds sweeping across central and peninsular India. These winds have been funnelling cooler, drier air into Mumbai’s atmosphere, momentarily suppressing temperatures.

Minimum Temperatures To Rise In Coming Days

The IMD’s latest forecast indicates that this wintry phase is expected to be short-lived. Minimum temperatures are likely to rise above 20 degrees Celsius again in the coming days as the influence of cold winds weakens.

On November 2, the maximum temperature had dipped to 27 degrees Celsius, but meteorologists attributed that drop to a spell of unseasonal rain in the first week of November rather than a shift in seasonal winds.

With fluctuating weather patterns becoming increasingly common, Mumbai’s early November chill has offered a brief but memorable taste of winter ahead of time.