Mumbai is set to experience warmer days and nights over the weekend as the southwest monsoon withdraws from the city, with temperatures expected to remain between 34 and 35 degrees Celsius and conditions likely to feel uncomfortable, according to India Meteorological Department officials.
The IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded 34 degrees Celsius on Thursday, 1.7 degrees above normal for the date. The Colaba coastal observatory recorded 33 degrees Celsius, which was 1.2 degrees above the normal level. On Wednesday, the city had recorded 33 degrees Celsius, at par with the normal temperature range.
Sushma Nair, a scientist at IMD Mumbai, said temperatures would remain elevated during the weekend but added that no extreme heat warning would be issued for the city. An extreme heat or heat wave warning would be considered only if temperatures cross 37 degrees Celsius, according to the report.
The rise is linked to the ongoing withdrawal of the monsoon, an anti-cyclonic formation and a reversal in wind patterns. These conditions are favourable for temperatures to increase after the rainy season begins to recede.
Mumbai typically sees the monsoon withdraw during the first week of October, after which the city enters an October heat period. Temperatures generally begin to decline from November and remain lower through February. However, the report said a prevailing El Niño condition could keep Mumbai’s temperatures above normal levels. El Niño is a natural climate pattern associated with above-average sea-surface temperatures in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean. In the Indian subcontinent, an active El Niño is associated with higher temperatures and inadequate rainfall.
The weather shift was also visible in Mumbai’s skyline on Thursday morning, when parts of the city were covered by a thick layer of haze. The Central Pollution Control Board’s dashboard showed that Mumbai’s air quality index remained within normal levels, according to the report.
An official from the state pollution board attributed the haze to the slow wind speeds currently affecting the city. The official said the layer of air would clear once wind speeds increased. The combination of warmer conditions, reduced monsoon activity and slower winds is expected to remain relevant to how residents experience outdoor conditions over the weekend.
IMD officials said Mumbai’s temperatures would continue to remain above the normal range during the weekend, while the pollution-control authorities indicated that the haze would disperse as local wind conditions improve.
