Mumbai: Mercury hits 40 degrees Celsius mark in MMR

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Mercury levels in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) including Karjat, Thane, Palghar and many other areas in the Konkan belt have hit the 40°C mark. Meteorologists say the hot weather will persist for a few more days before the temperature drops slightly.

On Thursday, Mumbai's Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 37.2°C, while Colaba recorded 35.2°C. However, these areas were relatively cooler than Karjat, Thane and Badlapur, which saw the temperature rise to 41°C and 40°C (each), respectively.

Calling it ‘rollercoaster' weather, Rajesh Kapadia of Vagaries of the Weather, said, "Highs of 37.5°C to lows that are as low as 15°C, the temperature seems to be on a rollercoaster. The weather is hotter than normal temperature for a few days followed by a few days of cooler weather. This is currently the situation in Mumbai."

According to Kapadia, starting March 1, Mumbai will see a slight drop in temperatures once again - a fall of about 5°C from the current 37°C. "This means the maximum temperature will drop to 31-32°C, while the minimum temperature by about 4°C, from the current 23°C to about 18-19°C during the night, he said, adding that a "pleasant" weather scenario (by Mumbai standards) can be expected in the first week of March.

Explaining the reason for the hot weather, Kapadia said that the strong East/Southeast winds blowing over the Konkan are dry and hot and since they are coming for land, they are pushing off the sea breeze. "This is leading to hot weather in Mumbai as well as MMR."

Meanwhile, an official from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), said, "Yes, we expect the heat to persist for one or two days, owing to easterly winds. However, a change in wind patterns might provide some relief. It may change tomorrow or in two days. We had predicted hot weather in Mumbai, MMR and other interior parts of Maharashtra."

Temperatures recorded

Thane 40.1°C
Kalyan 40.2°C
Badlapur 39.9°C
Panvel 39.3°C
Mumbra 39.2°C
Karjat 41.3°C
Mahad 41°C
Chiplun 41.5°C
Wada 40.7°C
Dapoli 40.3°C

37.2°C
Max temperature recorded in Mumbai on Thursday