At 38.4°C, Mumbai experiences season’s highest temperature

The mercury rose to record-high levels in Mumbai on Thursday, March 4. This resulted in the city logging its highest maximum temperature recorded in a day in the month of March. 

India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) weather observatory in Santacruz noted the maximum temperature of 38.1 degrees Celsius on March 4. This is 5.2 degrees above normal. 

Earlier in the month of February too, the mercury had touched 38.1  degrees Celsius, while the humidity was noted to be around 40-50 per cent. 

The temperature recorded on Thursday surpassed last year’s highest maximum temperature for March. The highest maximum temperature recorded in March last year was 37.5 degrees Celsius and recorded on March 17. 

Max temp in state on 4 March...
Getting hotter, pl TC
Parbhani 37.0
Santacruz 38.1
Jalgaon 38.5
Pune 36.1
Aurangabad 36.6
Nasik 36.1
Malegaon 38.4
Thane 34.8
Rtn 37.2
Jalna 35.2
Satara 35.3
Sangli 36.2
Jeur. 37
Beed 38.3

— K S Hosalikar (@Hosalikar_KS) March 4, 2021

The all-time highest maximum temperature in March recorded in the city was 41.7 degrees Celsius on March 28, 1956. 

Not only the maximum temperature on Thursday was above normal but even the minimum temperature too was on the higher side. According to IMD Colaba observatory minimum temperatures of 23 degrees, Celsius was recorded and in Santacruz 20.6 degrees Celsius. This was 1.3 degrees and 0.6 degrees above normal, respectively. The relative humidity recorded by the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatory was 58 per cent and 30 per cent respectively.

On March 3, the maximum temperature recorded Santacruz observatory of the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) was 37.3 degrees Celsius. A day prior the same observatory had recorded the maximum temperature of 35.3 degrees Celsius.

This heatwave in the regions is being attributed to the dry, warm winds blowing at a low altitude over the city at around 900 metres above mean sea level, coming from an anticyclonic circulation over central India. 

Furthermore, Mumbai will have to brace itself for warmer than the usual summer season. According to the IMD’s latest long-term season outlook for the period of March to May 2021, parts of West India are likely to experience above-normal seasonal maximum as well as minimum temperatures over this year’s summer season.