The mercury soared to a record 40.5 degrees celsius on Thursday, making it the second-hottest March day in the past decade.
Officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) say that the city will continue to be hot over the next two to three days.
On Thursday, while the weather station at Santa Cruz recorded a maximum temperature of 40.5 degrees celsius, the Colaba weather station recorded a maximum temperature of 38.6 degrees celsius.
In the past decade, the highest maximum temperature in March was recorded in 2011, when the mercury level touched 41.3 degrees celsius on March 17. The highest all-time maximum temperature of 41.7 degrees in March was recorded in 1956.
IMD officials have attributed the rise in temperature to the existing weather conditions, and added that summer has begun. “The maximum temperature has gone up due to the inversion layer and anti-cyclone phenomenon over the north-east Arabian Sea adjoining the coast of Maharashtra and Gujarat,” said VK Rajeev, the director of IMD.
He added, “The temperature is likely to remain high over the next two to three days. It will come down only after the anti-cyclone phenomenon moves away.”
The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to be around 40 degrees celsius and 18 degrees celsius, respectively, stated the IMD forecast for Friday.
