First time this year, Mumbai nears 40°C; IMD issues heatwave warning

MUMBAI: The city recorded its first near 40 degrees temperature on Tuesday as the IMD Santacruz observatory recorded maximum temperatures of 39.2 degrees, which was 6.8 degrees above normal. This also surpassed the highest day temperature recorded for March last year, which was 38.8 degrees on March 22.
IMD Colaba, on the other hand, recorded day temperatures of 38 degrees, which was 6.9 degrees above normal. Meanwhile, a heatwave warning at isolated places was also issued for Mumbai, Thane, and Raigad on the morning of March 11, which was contradictory to the hot and humid weather conditions that were forecast by the IMD for Tuesday. Minimum temperatures recorded by the IMD Colaba and Santacruz observatory on Tuesday were 25 degrees and 23.8 degrees, which were 2.8 degrees and 3.7 degrees above normal, respectively.
Tuesday was also the third consecutive day that a heatwave warning was issued. IMD issues heatwave warnings when temperature at any coastal station is expected to reach 37 degrees Celsius, and at least two stations record departures from normal temperature range of 4.5 to 6.4 degrees Celsius.
In its forecast for Wednesday, the weather bureau has said that hot and humid weather conditions are very likely.
The peak power demand across Maharashtra also reached 30,000MW for the second day in a row as electricity consumption in the state increased with the rising daytime temperature.
However, a weather enthusiast said day temperatures are likely to dip in the coming days. "Tuesday's spike in temperatures was due to the late arrival of sea breeze over Mumbai (around 2-2:30pm), which caused a temperature rise. Temperatures are likely to see a fall in upcoming days, giving relief from extreme heat," said Rushikesh Agre, who tracks Mumbai weather and regularly posts on it from his social media handle. Another independent forecaster, Athreya Shetty, said sea breeze in city set in only after 2pm, allowing temperatures to climb unabated.