The city experienced an early spell of October heat on Friday, with Colaba recording a maximum temperature of 37.4°C — 5.6°C above normal and the highest October temperature recorded in south Mumbai since at least 2013. The all-time highest maximum temperature recorded at the weather station in October is 39.5°C, recorded on October 22, 1968. High humidity added to the discomfort across the city.
The early morning temperatures were also higher than normal. The spike in October heat came unusually early in the month. Sushma Nair, senior scientist, Regional Meteorological Centre, IMD Mumbai, attributed the spike in temperature to changes related with monsoon withdrawal. “Monsoon should withdraw from Mumbai in a day or two. This is a period of transition, when wind patterns change from westerlies to easterlies and blocks the setting of sea breeze and delaying its onset over the city.
Colaba recorded a minimum temperature of 27.5°C at 5.30am on Friday, 2.2°C above normal. The Santacruz observatory, which is the baseline weather station for Mumbai, logged a maximum temperature of 36.9°C, which was 4.6°C above normal. A similar early rise was recorded on October 8, 2024, when the maximum temperature reached 36.5°C. The suburbs saw relatively normal overnight temperatures, with Santacruz recording a minimum of 25.7°C. There was also an anti-cyclone near Mumbai that contributed to the high temperature,” said Nair, adding that daytime temperature will hover between 35-37 degrees Celsius for two to three days.
South Mumbai was warmer than the suburbs, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
