Mumbai: Heatwave inevitable as mercury crosses 40°C

A boy cools off in the sea at the Bandstand Promenade in Bandra as temperatures soar. Pic/Ashish Raje

At least 10 weather stations in Maharashtra have recorded maximum day temperatures upward of 40°C as heatwave effects begin to set in again. Meteorologists say the temperature is only likely to rise further.

"Mumbai could see a rise in temperature on Thursday, with it likely to be around 36°C-38°C. This rise will mostly be seen over the northern Konkan region," said Sushma Nair, a scientist with IMD's regional meteorological centre at Colaba.

Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded a temperature of 33.9°C with a relative humidity of 66 per cent. Meanwhile, the Colaba observatory recorded a temperature of 33.6°C with relative humidity at 88 per cent.

Explaining the rise in temperature, Rajesh Kapadia of popular private weather blog ‘Vagaries of Weather', said, "We had already explained that the cyclone-induced subsidence and sucking up of moisture from land will lead to a rapid rise in temperatures and same is happening. The anticyclone development too is aiding the temperature rise in Maharashtra." With Jalgaon being the hottest at 44.6°C, Alibaug and south Mumbai emerged the coolest at 33.4°C and 33.6°C, respectively, as per data provided by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday.

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The hottest districts in the state with the highest mercury readings are Jalgaon (44.6°C), Jalna (41.7°C), Parbhani (41.6°C), and Beed and Nanded (41.4°C each). Other weather stations such in Solapur, Chikalthana, Nasik, Ahmednagar, and Pune also recorded temperatures in excess of 40°C.

All the other districts have recorded temperatures upward of 33°C, with high humidity levels in the coastal areas and dry conditions in the hinterlands, according to the IMD.

With the formation of a cyclone in the Bay of Bengal, temperatures started rising rapidly across the Indian landmass. Along with the 10 weather stations in Maharashtra, 35 weather stations across India crossed the threshold of 40°C in India.