Mumbai experiences sharp drop in minimum temperature, hits 14°C

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Mumbai's minimum temperature plummeted to 14 degrees Celsius on Monday morning, recording a sharp drop in the last 48 hours. After witnessing a significant drop in its minimum temperature by four degrees Celsius within 24 hours on Sunday, meteorologists now anticipate a further sharp decline in temperatures across Maharashtra, including Mumbai, in the coming days. This sudden change, described by many as "unexpected," has already started to take effect.

According to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) Santacruz observatory, the city recorded a minimum temperature of 16.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday, which is 2.2 degrees below the seasonal average, and it dropped further to 14 degrees Celsius on Monday. On Saturday, December 14, the nighttime temperature was recorded at 20.1 degrees Celsius, exceeding the normal by 1.6 degrees.

Weather experts have indicated that the city's nighttime temperatures are expected to remain below average during the first half of this week.

"We had predicted a dip in the minimum temperature, hovering around 18-16 degrees Celsius. However, such a sharp drop was unexpected due to the incoming northerly winds. There is a possibility of temperatures increasing again after December 18 due to the influence of easterly winds. For now, the overall temperature drop can be attributed to a shift in the prevailing weather patterns," stated Sushma Nair, scientist at IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai.

Meanwhile, independent weather enthusiast Rushikesh Agre, who is popular for his social media handle ‘Mumbai Rains' on X, wrote on Sunday: "Temperatures are expected to see a sharp fall from tomorrow onwards. Coldwave-type weather in many areas of Maharashtra, including Mumbai. I will be sharing updates in some time."

While Mumbai recorded a minimum temperature of 14 degrees Celsius, other areas in Maharashtra also experienced low temperatures. These include Talegaon (Pune) at 8.3 degrees Celsius, Rajgurunagar (Pune) at 8.5 degrees Celsius, Baramati at 7 degrees Celsius, Daund at 7.3 degrees Celsius, and Pusad (Yavatmal) at 5.6 degrees Celsius.