Mumbai recorded its coldest November day in more than a decade on Sunday, with maximum temperatures dipping to 27°C in Colaba and 29°C in Santacruz, following unseasonal rainfall and overcast skies across the city. The sharp temperature drop brought unexpected relief to residents and marked a rare early-winter chill for the coastal metropolis.
According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), between Saturday night and Sunday morning, Colaba received 5.4 mm of rainfall while Santacruz logged 1.5 mm. Daytime showers intensified through Sunday, taking the total to 26 mm at Colaba and 24 mm at Santacruz between 8:30 am and 5:30 pm. The combination of thick cloud cover and steady rain led to temperatures dropping 5–7°C below the monthly norm.
Weather bureau records confirmed that Mumbai had not experienced such a cool November day in at least 11 years. Last November, Santacruz recorded a lowest maximum temperature of 32.6°C, while Colaba registered 30.8°C. Even in recent years, November highs rarely dipped below 30°C making this week’s reading a significant deviation from the norm.Meteorologists attributed the unseasonal weather to a deep depression system forming over the Arabian Sea, coupled with a trough running across the Konkan coast. “Moisture from the system, combined with coastal wind convergence, led to sustained rainfall and unusually low daytime temperatures,” said a senior IMD official.
The weather department issued multiple ‘yellow’ nowcast warnings for Mumbai, Thane, and Palghar districts throughout Sunday, cautioning of continued light to moderate showers. Officials said the wet spell is likely to persist until at least November 5, with intermittent rain forecast for coastal Maharashtra, including Raigad and parts of the Konkan belt.The early November showers follow Mumbai’s wettest October in three years, when the Colaba observatory recorded 165 mm of rainfall the highest since 2022. Experts note that such late-season rainfall events, influenced by regional climatic shifts, are becoming more frequent and are often linked to changing monsoon patterns and warming sea-surface temperatures.
While the cooler weather brought respite from post-Diwali heat, it also delivered an unexpected environmental benefit. The city’s Air Quality Index (AQI) which had risen to 212 (‘poor’) during Diwali week dramatically improved to 56 (‘satisfactory’) on Sunday, thanks to the rain settling suspended pollutants. The Central Pollution Control Board reported that most monitoring stations logged AQI readings under 100, with Colaba recording a clean-air index of 34 among the best in the city.The rare November chill, though temporary, offered Mumbai a glimpse of a cleaner and cooler urban climate a reminder of how natural weather cycles, when combined with sustainable urban planning, can improve environmental quality in India’s densest megacity.
