As cold winds swept parts of Maharashtra, minimum temperatures dropped across the state on Tuesday morning. Mumbai, too, experienced cool weather, and recorded the season's lowest temperature so far at 16 degrees Celsius.
On Tuesday, the Santacruz observatory in the western suburbs recorded a minimum temperature of 16 degrees Celsius, two degrees below normal. While, the Colaba observatory recorded a minimum temperature of 20 degree Celsius.
Meanwhile, the maximum temperature continued to remain high. According to Mumbai IMD's website, on Tuesday, Santacruz and Colaba recorded high temperatures of 32.9 degree Celsius and 31.6 degree Celsius, respectively.
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 Tuesday was 183 (moderate) with PM2.5 levels in the moderate category at 85 microgrammes per cubic metre (µg/m3) against the safe limit of 60 µg/m3, and AQI for PM10 at 139 (moderate).
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".
Besides Mumbai and its neighbouring areas, the chill was also felt in parts of central Maharashtra and Vidarbha.
According to the IMD, the minimum temperature in Pune was 8.1 degrees Celsius, while it was 8.4 degrees Celsius in Nashik and 9 degrees Celsius in Jalgaon. Nagpur recorded a minimum temperature of 8.6 degrees Celsius, Akola-9.6 degrees Celsius, and Gondia -7.8 degrees Celsius, the IMD said. Aurangabad recorded a minimum temperature of 9.2 degrees Celsius, Parbhani 7.6 degrees Celsius, Beed-10.1 degrees Celsius and Osmanabad-11.4 degrees Celsius, it said. In western Maharashtra, Kolhapur had a minimum temperature of 11.4 degrees Celsius, Sangli -12.6 degrees Celsius, and Satara -9 degrees Celsius, the IMD said.
