‘Cold Wave’ in Mumbai; mercury plummeted at 11.3⁰C

It’s not just north, northwest and the eastern parts of the country that have been feeling the wrath of the cold weather with temperatures being way below normal, the west coast of the country has been feeling the ‘cold wave’ too. The change in the climate in Maharashtra has forced the city people to pull out their winter wear and caps as the nights have become icy cold here as well.

The weather in Maharashtra is of a typical moderate nature where the temperatures stay in the higher twenties or thirties during the January month, which is the coldest month in the northern part of India. The weather in Mumbai particularly does at times suffer from the ‘cold wave’ due to lack of frequent ‘Western Disturbances’ as the temperatures drop and the direct flow of the freezing northwesterly winds make nights colder.

The weather in Mumbai on January 6th 2013 was quite cold as the temperature was recorded at 27.4⁰C maximum, which was 3⁰C below its normal figures, and the minimum temperature dropped to a whopping 11.3⁰C, 6⁰C below normal.  Weather forecasters at Skymet Weather say, “The last time the weather in Mumbai turned so cold was in 2008 when the minimum temperature was recorded at 10.2⁰C. This was the lowest in 45 years”.

However such climate in Maharashtra has not only brought changes in the weather of Mumbai, it has also affected the Nasik region adversely. The minimum temperature in Nasik on January 6th was recorded at a very cold 4⁰C while today; on January 7th it was recorded at 6.4⁰C. Agriculturists and Scientists at Skymet Weather inform that the grape crop could be badly affected due to this. This takes us back to the change in the climate in Maharashtra, witnessed last year too. Nasik recorded a minimum temperature of 3⁰C and the grapes crystallized due to exposure to the cold weather.

Mahesh Palawat, weather forecast at Skymet says, the ‘cold wave’ in Maharashtra is likely to continue for the next three to four days easily and the people of Mumbai and Nasik, particularly will have to rely on their winter clothes for the time being.” These changes in the climate of Maharashtra, affecting the weather of Mumbai, the ‘cold wave’ condition, and lowest minimum temperatures being recorded every year, with acres of crops being destroyed, points out that even though people have been noticing these changes, they still aren’t doing enough to help it. Being aggressively weather wise is the only solution for us now.

Photo by Enygmatic-Halycon.