Mumbai: At 11.3 degrees Celsius, Mumbaikars enjoyed the coldest day of the season on Friday, after seven years. Early morning joggers, walkers, workers and students were forced to wear light jackets and hoodies before setting off from home. It was the second lowest minimum temperature recorded, with the mercury having plummeted to 10.4 degrees Celsius in 2013.
The minimum temperature recorded at Colaba was 14.5 degrees Celsius, 5.5 degrees below normal while the maximum temperature also dropped to 25.3 degrees Celsius, the lowest in a decade. The lowest maximum temperature recorded in the city was 26 degrees Celsius, on January 12, 2014.
K S Hosalikar, deputy director general, India Meteorological Department (IMD), tweeted that day-time temperatures were expected to remain low due to the chilly winds. “Lowest min temp recorded after year 2013. With the winds chill factor too coming in...Feels lower than actual. Day time temp are expected to be low,” he tweeted.
“Both the maximum and minimum temperatures have witnessed a steady decline over the past six days, falling well below the normal owing to cold and dry winds from northern parts of the country,” said Hosalikar.
However, this chilly weather will not last, given that the IMD has predicted a maximum temperature of 29 and a minimum of 16 for the next 48 hours.
Location-wise, Borivli was the coldest, at 10 degrees Celsius, followed by Powai 10.3 degrees Celsius; Kandivli at 15 degrees Celsius and in Navi Mumbai, Panvel was the coldest, at 12 degrees Celsius.
“Not just Mumbai, but the cold spell is likely to prevail across several areas in north Maharashtra on Friday, with temperatures expected to gradually rise from the weekend onwards,” said Hosalikar.
Meanwhile, pollution levels, too, were at their lowest for the year, as the air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 92, falling under the ‘satisfactory’ category for the pollutant particle matter concentration PM2.5 in Mumbai. Air quality researchers said pollution levels dipped as the high wind speed dispersed pollutants.
Mumbai has seen some rather odd weather conditions in the past couple of months. After experiencing an extended monsoon, the city also witnessed a wet Christmas after it saw sudden spells of rain across town as well as in the suburbs.
