Mumbai: For the second consecutive day, the temperature in the city dipped below 20 degrees Celsius on Saturday, with the minimum temperatures recorded at the Santacruz and Colaba observatories being 18 and 19.5 degrees Celsius respectively. An official from Skymet, a private weather forecaster said it was because of the northeasterly winds from the western Himalayas, which will continue till December 20.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the dip in temperatures is due to the dry northerly/north-westerly winds blowing from the Himalayas over the plains of north-west and central India. “It is a seasonal phenomenon and temperatures are expected to fall further for the next three days. As a result of snowfall over the northern parts of the country, cool northerly winds have brought down temperatures in Mumbai,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director, IMD.
The maximum temperature in south Mumbai and the suburbs also dropped to 30.4 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal on Saturday. Last year, the coldest night was recorded on December 28, when the mercury plunged to 14.4 degrees Celsius. the air quality in Mumbai remained at satisfactory level, as the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 94 on Saturday.
Last year, the coldest night was recorded on December 28 at 14.4 degrees Celsius. In the last decade, the lowest minimum temperature recorded has been below 10 degrees Celsius, while the highest daytime temperature has exceeded 34 degrees Celsius.
Mahesh Palawat, vice president, meteorology, Skymet Weather, said, "In Delhi the minimum temperature is around 12 degrees Celsius, though it should have been at six or seven by now. This is because the northeasterly winds from the western Himalayas have started blowing now. So far, there were westerly winds that brought snow to Kashmir,” said Palawat.
Shweta Singh, resident of Navy Nagar, Colaba, said the early morning nip in the air was evident and because of this, it has been very pleasant all through the day. “I am enjoying these pleasant temperatures. This sudden dip is quite a relief,” she said.
Doctors have, however warned, the fluctuating temperatures can lead to seasonal diseases and have asked people to take precautions like ensuring heads and ears are covered to protect themselves from chilly winds.
In civic hospitals, doctors said the change in temperatures over the last few days has resulted in a spurt in cases of viral fever, sore throat, cough, body and stomach aches. “The number of patients complaining of fever, cold, cough and sore throat owing to the change in weather has increased,” added doctors.
