At 10°C, it’s coldest Jan day in 10 yrs

Mumbai: The city witnessed the coldest January day in the last decade—and probably in the last fifty years too—when the mercury levels dipped to 10 degree Celsius on Sunday morning. 

    Santa Cruz recorded 10 degree Celsius on Sunday. The earlier lowest January temperature was 10.2 degree Celsius, which was recorded in the year 2008. The lowest minimum of January ever recorded in the city's history was 7.4 degree Celsius on January 22, 1962. 
    Sunday's temperature may well be the lowest after the January 1962 record, but it cannot be established due to lack of data between 1962 and 2002. 
    The Santa Cruz temperature was six degree below normal on Sunday, the Indian Meteorological Department said. "The minimum temperatures fell by six degree in 24 hours," said V K Rajeev, director of weather forecast at IMD, Mumbai. On Saturday, the minimum temperature at Santa Cruz was 16 degree Celsius. 
    Although Colaba recorded a minimum temperature of 16.6 degree Celsius on Sunday, even the maximum temperatures dipped to 26.4 degree Celsius and 26.8 degree Celsius in Colaba and Santa Cruz respectively—more than two degree lower than on Saturday. 'This may be one of the coldest winters in the city' 
Mumbai: The city witnessed the coldest January day in the last decade on Sunday morning at 10 degrees Celsius. 
    Earlier this month, the temperatures in Santa Cruz had dipped to 11 degree Celsius. With Santa Cruz recording low temperatures all through the season, this winter may well be on its way to become one of the coldest winters in the city. 
    According to the weather bureau, the sudden fall in temperature may be due to a combination of weather disturbances in the northern plains of the country. "A western disturbance is fast approaching the northern parts of the country," said Rajeev. A western disturbance is an extra-tropical storm or a low pressure system, which originates in the Mediterranean sea and moves eastwards. This causes rainfall in Iran, Pakistan and India and snowfall in some parts of India. 
    "Apart from that, there is an upper air cyclonic system, which is active over the central area of the country. A combination of these has brought about another cold wave in the country," he said. The cold in the north is carried southwards because of the strong winds. "Strong northerly winds are bringing the cold towards the city," Rajeev said. 
    The city can expect the weather to remain chilly at least for the next two-three days, the weather bureau has said. "For the next two days, the minimum temperatures can be expected to hover between 10 and 12 degrees Celsius. Once the western disturbance passes over the north of India, the temperatures in the city too will return to normal," he said.

The lowest minimum temperature ever recorded in the city in January was 7.4 degree Celsius on Jan 22, 1962