MUMBAI: The city witnessed its second hottest September day in a decade on Tuesday with the IMD’s Santacruz observatory recording the maximum temperature at 36.2 degrees Celsius. The all-time record was in 2014 when the maximum temperature recorded on September 30 was 37 degrees Celsius.
But this cannot be termed as October heat since officially the monsoon has not yet withdrawn from the city . Residents said they have been feeling uneasy for the past few days with the maximum temperature rising. On Monday , the maximum temperatures recorded in Colaba and Santacruz were 31.8 degrees and 34.8 degrees respectively . But on Tuesday , the maximum witnessed a rise. It was 32.9 degrees in Colaba, which is 1.7 degrees above normal, and it was 36.2 degrees, which is 4.7 degrees above normal in Santacruz.
V K Rajeev of the Regional Meteorological Department said, “The monsoon has withdrawn in Rajasthan and parts of Gujarat, but not yet in Mumbai. The heat the city is witnessing is due to the absence of rain for a long time, and winds which are coming from the land, instead of the sea. The lack of moisture is another reason for the rise in temperature.The effects of the October heat have started to be felt.”
Mumbai has not witnessed significant rain in September.Humidity levels in Colaba were 76% and in Santacruz 62% on Tuesday . The IMD has forecast cloudy skies for the next 24 hours.
King’s Circle resident Nikhil Desai said it had been getting uncomfortably hot for two days. “Suddenly , there is a need to use the air-conditioner at home during the daytime too. But citizens are responsible for this climate change by cutting trees, causing emission of pollutants, wherein even before the monsoon has withdrawn, one is witnessing tremendous heat,” said Desai, adding that the transition from the monsoon to post-monsoon season can lead to one feeling uncomfortable as the body is not used to such high temperatures.
The monsoon this year has not been very strong throughout the four months. The rainfall recorded this year by the Colaba observatory was 1,604.8mm and in Santacruz 1,823.2mm.The deficient rainfall in the case of Colaba is 444.7mm and in Santacruz it is -403mm.
