As cold winds sweep parts of Maharashtra, northern areas of the state along with Mumbai and Thane are likely to witness a drop in temperature January 25 onwards.
"Conditions are favourable for drop in temperature, which may cause a decline in minimum temperature from January 25 onwards in Mumbai, Thane and north Maharashtra," an official from India Meteorological Department (IMD) told news agency PTI.
The minimum temperature could be around 12 degrees Celsius in north Maharashtra, which includes Nashik district, a major onion and grape producer in the state, the official said. The IMD official further added the cold weather conditions will persist for a few days starting January 25.
Meanwhile, Mumbai continues to enjoy cool weather. On Sunday, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 17.4 degrees Celsius.
On Sunday, the Santacruz observatory in the western suburbs recorded a minimum temperature of 17.4 degrees Celsius, while the Colaba observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 20 degrees Celsius.
IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatories recorded maximum temperatures of 33 degree Celsius and 30.6 degree Celsius on Sunday.
The drop in temperature has also affected Mumbai’s air quality. According to the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting And Research (SAFAR), the air quality index (AQI) for all pollutants on Sunday was 307 (very poor). An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
