MUMBAI: The
IMD’s Santacruz observatory recorded a maximum temperature of 39.3°C Monday—the highest in any part of the country that day.
The high temperatures were followed by rain, thunder and lightning activity at night which continued till early Tuesday, bringing down the day’s maximum temperature to 35.8°C. While Monday’s dust storm delayed flight arrivals, locals in parts of MMR, like Gorai, also reported hail, which, experts said, could be the first hail activity recorded in Mumbai region in 17 years.
An independent meteorologist --Rajesh Kapadia of Vagaries of weather, a private weather forecasting blog, said that previously on March 9, 2006 Mumbai had hail being reported for the first time ever. With regards to Mumbai's Mumbai being the hottest place in India on Monday Kapadia pointed that the day temperatures from 38.1 degrees a day earlier to 39.3 degrees on Monday had risen without any brakes.
IMD scientist
Sushma Nair attributed the sharp rise in temperatures to strong easterlies and the delayed setting of sea breeze. The all-time high day temperature for March was 41.6°C on March 17, 2011.
IMD officials also said that the rainfall is not abnormal as March is known as a pre-monsoon period.