Sunday 5th hottest March day in a decade at 39.1°C Difference In Max & Min Temperature Now 23°C

Mumbai: The city continued to simmer at above normal temperatures on Sunday. 

    Santa Cruz recorded a maximum temperature of 39.1 degrees Celsius—the fifth highest in March in a decade and more than six degrees above normal. 
    While the maximum temperature continues to spiral upwards, mercury has been plummeting at night. As a result, the difference between the day-time and night-time temperatures on Sunday was 23 degrees Celsius. On Sunday, Colaba recorded a maximum temperature of 33.8 degrees Celsius—2.6 degrees above normal. 
    Meanwhile, the minimum temperatures were low with Colaba recording a near normal 21.5 degrees Celsius and Santa Cruz 16.2 degrees Celsius—four degrees below normal. 
    The weather department, however, said that it is not summer yet. "This is a transitional period. The start of summer is here, but the winter isn't completely over. This means that until there is a weather change, the days will continue to be hot, while nights will be cool," said N Y Apte, deputy director general of India Meteorological Department, Mumbai. 
    Apart from Mumbai, many regions in Maharashtra recorded exceptionallyhigh temperatures. Ratnagiri, for instance, almost touched its all-time high with 39.5 degrees Celsius, the highest in the country on Sunday. 
    The weather department said the heat is purely because of the sun. 
    "No systems are affecting the weather. As there are no clouds during the day, the city gets the full influence of the sun and thus the temperatures have been increasing. At night, however, the northerly to north-easterly winds bring the temperature down," said Apte. 
    He added that as the humidity levels are low, Mumbaikars are feeling the impact of dry heat instead of sweating it out. 
    On Sunday, the morning relative humidity was 68% in Colaba as well as Santa Cruz. The evening relative humidity was very low with Colaba recording 48% and Santa Cruz merely 19%. 
    For the next two days, citizens can expect similar weather. "The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 39 degrees Celsius and 15 degrees Celsius respectively," states the Met department's forecast.