Mumbai: At 13.8°C, Mumbai on Sunday recorded its lowest minimum temperature for this winter. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted the temperature to remain around 13°C for the next two days. The chill in the air is attributed to the north-easterly winds prevailing over the city. The second lowest minimum temperature recorded this season was 15°C on Dec 25.
According to the IMD records, barring 2021, the city witnessed the hottest January last year as compared to the past decade. In 2021, the lowest minimum temperature in January was 14.8°C.
While the lowest minimum temperature ever recorded in Mumbai over the last 10 years in the month of January was back in 2011 with a low temperature of 10°C.
On Sunday, the minimum temperature recorded by the Santacruz observatory was 13.8°C, and it was 16.2°C in Colaba. The maximum temperatures witnessed were 26.2°C and 26.4°C, respectively.
The IMD has forecast an average minimum temperature around 13°C for the next two days, with the possibility of the temperature rising up again to 17 °C by Wednesday.
According to the System of Air Quality and Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), Mumbai on Sunday breathed poor quality air with an Air Quality Index (AQI) of 290 - higher than the national capital. Other major cities like Delhi, Pune, and Ahmedabad remained in the ‘moderate’ category and recorded AQIs of 160, 142, and 110, respectively.
According to experts, weak winds, temperature drop and the suspended pollutants remaining in the atmosphere continued to be the reasons behind the bad air quality.
