Mercury rises, may fall by end of week

MUMBAI: After almost a week of a cold spell, temperatures in the city soared on Monday.

The Santacruz station of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), which represents the city and suburbs, recorded a maximum temperature of 34.9 degrees Celsius, 3.5 degrees above normal. At Colaba, which represents south Mumbai, maximum temperature was 32 degrees Celsius, 1.7 degrees above normal.

Minimum temperatures, too, increased slightly on Monday and were well above normal. At

Santacruz weather station, minimum temperature was 19 degrees Celsius, which was 1.4 degrees above normal while Colaba recorded 20.5 degrees Celsius, 0.9 degrees above normal.

“It was a good warm morning in Mumbai on Monday with minimum temperature, as expected to be observed, at 19°C. Similar trend is seen in the state with rising trend in both minimum and maximum temperature. As per IMD GFS guidance, by end of this week, minimum temperatures are expected to start falling,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director general, western region, IMD, on Twitter.

Meanwhile, air quality improved marginally on Monday but remained in the poor category. An overall air quality index (AQI) — an air quality indicator — of 221 was measured on Monday as opposed to Saturday’s 286.

Andheri with an AQI of 301 had the worst air, followed by

Mazagaon at 280.

“Air quality of Mumbai is in the poor category. With current wind, local emission with continental pollution will keep AQI poor for Mumbai in the next two days,” according to a shortrange forecast shared by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR).

AQI was calculated by SAFAR as the average of indices recorded at 10 locations in the city and suburbs. SAFAR categorises AQI levels for PM2.5 in the 0-50 range as good; 51-100 as satisfactory; 101200 as moderate; 201-300 as poor; 301-400 as very poor; and above 400 as severe.

AIR QUALITY IMPROVED MARGINALLY ON MONDAY WITH AN OVERALL AQI OF 221 AS OPPOSED TO SATURDAY’S 286