Heat Wave Likely For Mumbai: Mercury May Cross 38 Degrees
Mar 5, 2025, 1:15 PM | Skymet Weather Team
Mercury to Soar Past 37°C Across Mumbai, Heat Wave Expected. Image: Canva
The month of March is a hotter month for Mumbai. Heat starts catching up from the second half of February itself and keeps building thereafter. The hot period for Mumbai goes on till the monsoon arrives in June. The month of March has a monthly normal of 32.8°C. However, the city invariably crosses 38°C on a regular basis. Quite often, the city breaches the notional mark of even 40°C. In the recent past, the maximum temperature crossed 40°C in March 2013, 2015, 2019, and 2021. The city went past 41°C in March 2011 and 2018. An all-time high of 41.7°C was recorded on 28th Mar 1956.
A western disturbance is likely to arrive on 08th March over North India. The normal wind pattern will undergo change. The outflow of anticyclonic winds reaching Konkan and North Madhya Maharashtra will get obstructed. Unsettled wind patterns over the region will lead to a rise in the day temperature, in excess of 37°C, between 08th and 11th March. This abrupt rise may amount to heat wave-like conditions for the city and suburbs.
Being high in the humidity levels, the coastal stations have a different criteria for heat waves. Unlike the plains where the temperature needs to reach or exceed 40°C, the heat wave commences over coastal stations at 37°C and above. The conditions come with a rider that the maximum temperature needs to be 4.5°C or more than the daily normal. The city had earlier witnessed a heat wave when it recorded a day high of more than 38°C for four consecutive days, between 24th-27th Feb 2025. The highest maximum of 38.7°C, so far, in this season was recorded on 25thFeb 2025.
The extended stay of land breeze triggers a rise in the day temperatures over the coastal stations, including Mumbai. Such a pattern delays the onset of sea breeze, consequently raising the mercury levels. Intrusion of sea breeze quickly mitigates the heat stress and the temperatures drop significantly. The day temperatures are likely to be in excess of 36°C for the next two days. A further rise is expected on and after 08th March, wherein the mercury is expected to breach the 38°C mark, amounting to heat wave conditions.
