Mumbaikars witnessed warm weather conditions with day temperatures above normal up till third week of December 2018. There is no doubt in saying that the winters were delayed in Mumbai for the year 2018. On December 27, the minimums came down to 12.4°C from 17.4°C and was marked as the lowest minimum of the season. From past seven to eight days, minimums are around 2°C below normal. For the coming five to six days, we expect them to remain below normal only. Thereafter, there can be a marginal rise in the same.
The pollution levels have also gone up in Mumbai. The reason for the same can be attributed to the formation of haze over the city. The dust and smoke particles get deposited on the water vapours available in haze and mist. Hence, particles remain suspended near the surface leading to rise in pollution levels. In the absence of strong winds, pollution levels tend to stretch for an elongated period.
This is a not so common phenomenon to happen over the coastal areas especially in Mumbai. The reason of formation of haze and mist could be the cold winds coming from North which overlays the warm and humid winds from the West. This results in cooling down of the humid westerly winds. The moisture available in the humid westerly winds gets condensed thus leading to formation of haze which is the current scenario in Mumbai. This unusual phenomenon is expected not to continue for long as minimums are expected to rise marginally after some time span, therefore pollution levels will eventually drop.
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