Mumbai: Rainfall likely between March 5 and 7 even as city gets warmer, say experts

With the winter season having officially ended on February 28, Mumbai is expected to warm up over the first week of March, according to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) officials on Wednesday.

On Wednesday, the Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 33.9 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees above normal. The minimum temperature recorded was 19.6 degrees Celsius. On February 18, the city recorded 37.9 degrees Celsius, the warmest day of the year thus far.

According to IMD experts, the average daily maximum temperature would be roughly 4-5 degrees above normal throughout the first week of this month.

No heatwave in Maharashtra

Weather experts, on the other hand, have ruled out the prospect of a heatwave affecting Mumbai or the interiors of Maharashtra.

However, Mahesh Palawat, a Skymet Weather Services expert and meteorologist, warned that between March 5 and 7, there is a chance of light to moderate rainfall in isolated pockets of Mumbai, as well as Raigad, Kolhapur, Vidarbha, and Ahmednagar.

While speaking to the Indian Express, Palawat said that for the first few days of March, Mumbai will experience dry and warmer days. However, due to western disturbances and a cyclonic development over Rajasthan and northern Maharashtra, several parts of the state may experience mild to moderate rainfall, causing the temperature to drop by a couple of degrees.

He added that between November and December, there were no western disturbances and the weather was dry.