First official day of summer, March 1

FEELING HOT, HOT, HOT?

First official day of summer, March 1, sees temperatures five degrees above normal; hotter days ahead

DIPTI SONAWALA

    After an unusually mild winter, summer has made a sizzling entry in the city. On March 1, the first official day of summer, day temperatures across the city soared up to 37º Celsius, five degrees above normal. But the hot spell started two weeks ago, says the Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), which has since recorded temperatures far above normal.
    On Sunday, the minimum temperature recorded at the meteorological department's Santacruz station was around 20º C – two degrees more than the usual. The maximum was around 37º C, which is five degrees above normal for this time of year.
    "As per the classification of seasons this year, March-May has been marked as summer. As compared to last year, the temperatures are five degrees higher because of the western disturbances, a weather system that makes the climate cloudy, prevents temperatures from dropping and increases humidity," said Sathi Devi, director of the Mumbai Meteorological Station.
    The weather centre said the mercury will continue to rise for the next two days, with a forecast of a maximum of 36º C and a minimum of 20º C. However, this isn't the worst ever: in March 1956, temperatures in the city were as high as 41º C.
    Prof Kapil Gupta, associate professor at the department of civil engineering at IIT-Bombay, said that in addition to the western disturbance, other factors at the local level also contribute to rising temperatures: "There are several other reasons based on urban heat island phenomenon that add up to this unbearable climate change. The green belt in the city is supposed to absorb maximum amount of heat. But the concrete jungle in the city is growing. Concrete is a good absorber of heat, but it absorbs heat in the day time and releases it during the night. Plus, the increase in the use of air-conditioners too adds to the heat. The air-conditioner cools the interiors but releases heat into the atmosphere."