Mercury dips further: At 15.2°C, city records year’s lowest temp

MUMBAI: The city woke up to a chill as temperatures dropped further owing to northern winds blowing into the state. At 15.2 degrees Celsius, Mumbai experienced the year’s coldest morning on Thursday.

Santacruz station of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded minimum temperature at 15.2 degrees Celsius, down from 15.3 degrees Celsius on Wednesday. This was 2.3 degrees below normal and the second lowest of the season. Before this, the lowest minimum temperature of the ongoing winter season was 15 degrees Celsius on December 29 last year.

At Colaba, minimum temperature was 17.6 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees below normal. “Minimum temperatures in and around Mumbai were expected to drop owing to cold and dry winds from the north. Similar conditions are likely to prevail for the next two days. The minimum temperature may further see a dip on Friday,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD.

Maximum temperatures were marginally higher, but remained relatively lower than normal. Santacruz recorded a maximum temperature of 29.9 degrees Celsius,

1.7 degrees below normal. Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 28.4 degrees Celsius, 1.9 degrees below normal.

Meanwhile, air quality improved slightly and measured in the ‘poor’ category on Thursday. An overall air quality index (AQI) — an air quality indicator— of 293 was measured in the city, according to System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

“Due to calm winds, polluted continental air coming into the region is not getting dispersed. This is leading to poor AQI. In the next two days AQI will be at poor to very poor for Mumbai,” said a SAFAR spokesperson.