MUMBAI: With the maximum temperature soaring to 38.1 degrees Celsius on Thursday, Mumbai records the hottest day of this season so far. The Indian meteorological department's Mumbai Bureau has predicted that the temperature would rise further to 39 degrees Celsius in the next 24 hours.
The temperature of 38.1 degrees recorded on Thursday is around 3-degree higher as compared to two days back when Mumbai recorded a maximum of 35.3 degrees and around 5 degrees above the normal pointing at a hot summer ahead.
According to the weathermen at IMD, the hot and sultry weather is expected to continue till March 5. The temperature will start dropping a bit after that. Jayanta Sarkar - scientist and head IMD Mumbai said: "Dry and relatively warm wind coming from the anti-cyclone over Central India was the factor behind the rise in temparture."
The IMD's Santacruz observatory on Thursday reported a maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees which was around 5 degrees above normal. Meanwhile, the temperature recorded at the Colaba observatory on Thursday was 33.8 degree Celsius, which was around 2 degrees above normal.
The temperature recorded on Thursday has beaten the highest maximum temperature recorded in the month of March (37.5 degree celsius) that was recorded on March 17, 2020.
Skymet, a private weather agency on its website stated: "Wednesday was the earliest recorded 37 degrees Celsius temperature in the early days of March since 2013. Invariably the financial capital does breach the mercury level of 37 degrees Celsius but mostly during the second half of the month. Prior to this, Mumbai crossed the threshold of 37 degrees Celsius a bit early in the month when it registered a temperature of 38°C on March 2, 2013."
However, on Thursday the maximum temperature breached the 38-degree celsius mark.
Weathermen state that a sudden drop of 2-3 degrees Celsius is witnessed with the switch over to westerly winds from the ocean. "The temperature in Mumbai breaches the normal mark of 35 degrees Celsius on days when the sea breeze fails to set in early because of insufficient heat differential between sea and land due to meteorological reasons. This year Mumbai had crossed 36 degrees Celsius quite early in the season when it measured the temperature of 36.3 degrees Celsius on February 2. Later on two more occasions, mercury over Mumbai breached the mark of 36 degrees Celsius on February 21 and February 22," experts at Skymet stated.
The month of March for Mumbai has a track record of crossing even 40 degrees Celsius as it recorded in the years 2011, 2013, 2015, 2018, and 2019. The probability of recording similar temperature during March 2021 remains very high weathermen have predicted.
