Nip in the air to linger for a bit MUMBAI:

There has been a marked nip in the air, even in daytime, for the past two days and it is expected to hang around for a short while. Weathermen have attributed this to the cold wave in north India. On Friday, at 14.4 degrees Celsius, Mumbai woke up to its lowest temperature, 3.6 degrees below normal. According to the weather bureau, “The drop in temperatures and will continue till February 11.” The Santacruz weather station recorded 14.4 degrees Celsius, 3.6 degrees below normal, while Colaba recorded 17.6 degrees Celsius, 1.8 degrees below normal. The maximum temperature in south Mumbai and the suburbs also fell below the 30degree mark. Colaba recorded 24.5 degrees Celsius, 4.4 degrees below normal and Santacruz recorded 24.2 degrees Celsius, 6.9 degrees below normal. “The lowest recorded maximum temperature in the last 10 years was 26.3 degrees, on February 16, 2014,” said IMD official. IMD officials attributed the drastic dip to dry northerly/northwesterly winds from the Himalayas over plains of north-west and central India. “It is a seasonal phenomenon and temperatures are expected to fall further in the next 24 hours. As a result of snowfall over the northern parts of the country, cool northerly winds have brought down temperatures in Mumbai,” said KS Hosalikar, deputy director, IMD. Cool and pleasant nights will persist for the next three or four days. - Staff Reporter