Mumbai continued to swelter as the mercury level increased above normal on Thursday as the city recorded a maximum temperature above 38 degrees for the second day in a row.
On Thursday, the Santacruz observatory of the Indian Meteorology Department (IMD) recorded 38.8 degrees Celsius, which was six degrees above normal, making it the hottest day of the ongoing season and also the highest day temperature recorded during March.
Earlier on Wednesday, the Santacruz observatory had recorded 38.7 degrees.
Meanwhile, IMD’s coastal observatory at Colaba had recorded 36.3 degrees on Thursday, which was also five degrees ahead of normal. Earlier on Wednesday, the coastal observatory had recorded 34.3 degrees, which was also three degrees above normal.
Also, on Thursday, the city recorded the warmest night temperatures in the state with Santacruz observatory recording 24 degrees, while the Colaba observatory recorded 21.4 degrees.
Sunil Kamble, scientist and head of IMD, Mumbai said that even though there has been a rise in temperature, the IMD is not contemplating on issuing any heatwave warning for now.
“The temperature rise has been recorded due to easterly distribution of winds, which the city is experiencing. From tomorrow (Friday) onwards, the city may record a drop in temperature since we are anticipating Westerly winds to blow due to change in wind direction,” Kamble told Express on Thursday.
Usually, the IMD issues a heatwave warning in any coastal city when the maximum temperature crosses 37 degrees in two stations. However, in this case, the temperature in the Colaba observatory has remained between 34 and 36 degrees during the past two days.