Mumbai: Heat to stay despite pre-monsoon spells

A mobile tower collapses at Bandra in the strong wind caused by Cyclone Biparjoy

The current hot and humid temperature in the city will continue for the next two to three days despite pre-monsoon showers hitting Mumbai and adjoining areas, Saturday night onwards, meteorologists said while predicting that the monsoon will take a few more days to arrive.

Over the next two to three days, the skies will be partly cloudy, with a possibility of a few pre-monsoon showers or thundershowers.

The city will also witness squally winds, with speeds likely to hit the 35-40 km/ph-mark. "This trend will continue for the next two to three days, but with the uncomfortable heat and humidity," said Rajesh Kapadia of popular private weather blog ‘Vagaries of the Weather'.

A rainbow appears in the sky over the Bandra bridge on Sunday following a brief shower. Pics/Ashish Raje

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and Vagaries of the Weather, the pre-monsoon showers are a result of Cyclone Biparjoy which is
passing by the Mumbai and Konkan coast.

"The cyclone, on the evening of June 11, was around 550 km west of Mumbai in the Arabian Sea, moving towards Kutch. This led to the cloudy weather and pre-monsoon showers the city and adjoining areas witnessed," Kapadia added.

On Saturday, Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 38.5°C, which is the highest for June in 15 years. "The previous record high for June was 39.8°C in 2007," Kapadia said.

The IMD's forecast, however, said the maximum temperature will gradually drop. "On Saturday, the Santacruz observatory recorded a temperature of 38.5°C, which is 6°C above normal and very high for June (in Mumbai). The temperature is almost the same on Sunday, with a few points drop, but the overall temperature in the city will begin to gradually drop very soon," said a senior official from IMD's Regional Meteorological Centre, Mumbai.

On Sunday, the Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 38.3°C, while the Colaba observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 34.5°C.

38.3°C
Max temp recorded in city on Sunday