Mumbai records coldest night of the season; mercury drops to 16.5°C

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The city woke up to a chilly Friday morning as temperatures dropped to the lowest so far this season. Indian Meteorological Department's (IMD) Santacruz weather observatory recorded the coldest night of the season on the morning of November 29, with temperatures dipping to 16.5°C.

While this is the lowest temperature for November since 2016, when Santacruz recorded 16.3°C, it is not the coldest ever. The station had previously recorded a chilling 13.3°C on November 19, 1950.

In addition to IMD's Colaba observatory reported 21.4°C. "The significant drop in temperatures across the city can be attributed to the snowfall in the northern regions, which has brought in dry, cold winds from the north," explained climatologist Rajesh Kapadia of Vagaries of Weather, a private weather blog.

As per IMD and Vagaries of Weather, the chill wasn't limited to Mumbai alone. Other parts of Maharashtra also experienced a sharp dip in temperatures. Ahmadnagar recorded 8.3°C, a decrease of 5.9°C from the usual, while Sangli's AWS (Automated Weather Station) recorded 8.4°C. Pune saw temperatures fall to 9.5°C, the coldest November reading since 2016 when it reached 9.3°C. However, the coldest November temperature in Pune was in 1964, when the mercury plummeted to 4.6°C on November 27.

Sambhajinagar (Aurangabad) also reported a drop in temperatures, with the mercury at 10.6°C, which was the lowest for November. The coldest November reading in Sambhajinagar ever was a frigid 1.9°C on November 30, 1970.

Mahabaleshwar, a popular hill station, recorded a temperature of 10.5°C. However, the coldest spot in Maharashtra on the morning of November 29 is Jeur, which recorded a low of 6.0°C, a significant drop of 6.6°C below the normal temperature.

Cold nights to persist in Mumbai, daytime temperatures to remain stable

As the season progresses, weather experts and IMD officials suggest that the northern winds will continue to bring cold spells across the state, with more chilly nights expected.

According to the latest forecast by the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Mumbai can expect the minimum temperatures to remain in the range of 15-16°C until November 30. After that, the mercury is likely to rise to 22-23°C by December 4.

In a bit of relief for Mumbailar's, the IMD has indicated that there will be no significant rise in daytime temperatures in the coming days. The maximum temperatures are expected to stay relatively stable, fluctuating between 32-33°C throughout the next week.