Sunday was indeed Sun’s day in Mumbai as the Maharashtra capital recorded the second highest temperature since 2011 at 41 degrees Celsius.
People in the Maximum City, who ventured out, felt as if they were walking inside an oven. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the recoded temperature was just 0.3 degrees Celsius short of the temperature recorded on 17 March 2011.
According to IMD’s Santacruz observatory, the temperature was eight degrees above normal. An IMD official said that a low-level inversion led to a spike in temperatures.
A heatwave warning for 24 hours was issued on Sunday night.
“Due to the prevailing strong Easterly wind from the land region, the temperatures are expected to rise and similar conditions are likely to prevail for next 24 hours over the region. Delayed setting of sea breeze also aided to the rise in temperature,” the IMD said in a statement.
“The easterly winds don’t let effect of the sea breeze effect set in, which is why the temperatures rise,” the official was quoted as saying by PTI.
On 28 March 1956, Mumbai recorded the highest ever temperature in the month of March when the mercury reached 41.7 degrees Celsius.
Sweltering heat is likely to continue for the next few days. The maximum temperature is expected to come down to 35 degrees Celsius by 1 April.