Unexpected Winter Chill Engulfs Mumbai, Matching Hill Station Temperature
In an unusual climatic event this Sunday, residents of Mumbai experienced a surprising dip in the temperature, drawing parallels with the chilly weather of the hill station, Mahabaleshwar. The morning air in Mumbai had a brisk coolness as the temperature plummeted, recording a minimum of 16.7 degrees Celsius, as per the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) Santacruz observatory. Remarkably, this nearly mirrored the temperature in Mahabaleshwar, which stood at 16.6 degrees Celsius.
This phenomenon marked the lowest temperature Mumbai has seen this month, signaling an unexpected twist in the city’s weather pattern. The cold snap is attributed to the influence of cool northerly breezes, a shift from the usual weather experienced around this time of the year.
The drop in temperature wasn’t limited to the early hours. Daytime temperatures also took a hit, with the IMD Colaba observatory charting a maximum of below 30 degrees Celsius (29.4 degrees) for the first time in a while. Similarly, Santacruz’s observatory noted a peak temperature of 32.2 degrees Celsius, a noticeable decline from the preceding days.
Looking ahead, the weather bureau has predicted that clear skies will prevail on Monday, February 12, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to hover around 31 degrees Celsius and 18 degrees Celsius, respectively. This forecast suggests a mild continuation of the cooler weather, offering a brief respite from the warmer temperatures that dominated the city last week. Previously, Mumbai had been grappling with dry heat, with daytime temperatures soaring above 36 degrees Celsius just the Sunday before.
A keen observer of Mumbai’s weather noted, “The city is currently under the influence of northerly winds, which is the primary reason for the reduced minimum temperature. However, these northerlies did not extend to Mahabaleshwar the same day, preventing a similar temperature drop there. Still, Mahabaleshwar experienced a cooler morning due to a phenomenon known as temperature inversion, a condition more typical of the periods transitioning between winter and summer.”
Despite this unexpected chill, the winter season this year in Mumbai has been relatively mild. The lowest temperature dip recorded hovered around 14 degrees Celsius for the minimum temperature. Experts suggest that the peak of winter has passed for the city, paving the way for a gradual transition into warmer days ahead. This brief cold spell has offered Mumbaikars a cool respite and a gentle reminder of the city’s capability to surprise its residents with unpredictable weather patterns.
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