Mumbai heatwave: Why temperatures are touching nearly 40 degrees Celsius

Mumbai is baking.

Tuesday, 16 April, was the hottest day this month in the city in the past decade, with a maximum temperature of 39.7 degrees Celsius.

This week’s unexpected temperature surge is a sign of things to come for the city, as scientists from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) predict more heatwaves to hit the whole state of Maharashtra this summer.

But what’s driving the rising mercury? Let’s take a closer look.

Maximum temperature in a decade

The IMD issued an orange “severe heatwave” alert for the city on Tuesday and extended the heatwave warning through Wednesday as blistering temperatures gripped locals.

For those uninitiated, a heat wave is an extended period of unusually hot weather that is usually accompanied by high humidity. According to the Free Press Journal, this can lead to health risks like dehydration and heat stroke.

According to Indian Express, the IMD’s Santacruz observatory reported a maximum temperature of 29.7 degrees Celsius, breaking a record that had stood for ten years. This unusual spike was about 6.5 degrees above the average.

Before this, the city experienced its warmest April day ever in 2014, with highs reaching 39 degrees Celsius.

By 8 pm on Tuesday, the temperature in Thane ranged from 42.8 to 43 degrees Celsius. According to Times Now, the highest temperature ever recorded at the Navi Mumbai observatory in Rabale was 42 degrees.

For Mumbaikars, the approaching evening did not provide much comfort either.

As per Indian Express, the city recorded its warmest night of the year on Monday, with minimum temperatures hovering around 27.5 degrees in the suburbs and a minimum of 27.8 degrees at the coastal observatory in Colaba.

The IMD upped the heatwave warning from a yellow to a severe alert and extended it to Wednesday for Mumbai and the surrounding districts of Thane and Raigad. The heatwave warning was originally scheduled to last until Tuesday.

“While the severe heatwave will remain in place today, from tomorrow, there will be a drop of one-two degrees; thus, it will be a normal heatwave,” Sunil Kamble, director of IMD Mumbai, told Indian Express.

According to The Hindu report, which quoted its sources in Mumbai Monorail operations, one of the guideway wheels broke at around 10 am, partially stopping train service for three hours. This was likely caused by the high temperatures. Individuals were required to deboard. The government considers this train system, which is the only one in India, to be a white elephant.

Normal services resumed only at 1 am, the report claimed.

Also read: India to face extreme heat between April-June: Will it affect voter turnout?

The reason behind the heatwave

Meteorologists claim that the city is seeing high daytime and nighttime temperatures as a result of easterly winds causing a cyclonic circulation over Central Maharashtra.

According to Indian Express, experts have warned that the temperature is predicted to range between 38 and 39 degrees Celsius until at least Wednesday, attributing the surge to these easterlies.

Furthermore, the suburbs experience higher temperatures primarily due to ongoing construction, as per The Hindu.

Heatstroke cases dropped significantly

From 1 March to 15 April, this year, the state public health department in Maharashtra documented 82 cases of heat stroke due to the rising mercury throughout the state, as per Free Press Journal.

This stands in stark contrast to the 353 cases of heat stroke that were recorded in the same period last year.

The Resqink Association for Wildlife Welfare (RAWW), in coordination with the Mumbai range of the forest department, rescued 37 animals, birds and reptiles that suffered from dehydration and sunstroke, and were found displaced in different parts of the city, said Pawan Sharma, RAWW founder and president and the honorary wildlife warden with the forest department, according to PTI.

Macaques, langurs, bats, parakeets, kites, sparrows, pigeons, crows, and snakes were rescued in the last two days, he said.

Ten rescued animals and birds died during treatment, Sharma said, adding that the ones responding to the treatment will be released into the wild once they are fit.

Authorities, as per Indian Express, attribute this decrease to both the delayed onset of the heat wave and better execution of heat wave action plans.

Also read: Global heatwave continues: March 2024 breaks temperature records with more heat on the way

Electricity demand rises

To combat the heat wave, electric appliances such as air conditioners, fans, and coolers are being operated at high speeds.

Mumbai’s demand for power is rising as a result; on Tuesday, the city registered a 4,041 MW demand, the highest demand for the current season, according to Lokmat Times.

The demand for power in Maharashtra was 24,234 MW.

Mumbai can generate about 1,700 MW of electricity, thus, the extra power needed is bought on the open market, where prices range between Rs 5-8 per unit depending on the time of day, as per a report by Hindustan Times.

The report says that the Maharashtra State Electricity Distribution Company Limited purchased 10,000 MW of power from the exchange at market pricing.

“Our peak demand was close to 900 MW, which was around afternoon. This is due to the offices that have high-guzzling air conditioners,” a BEST official told HT.

Meanwhile, as per the newspaper, in order to fulfil passenger demand, the Ministry of Railways has instructed WR and CR to make sure all of the current water coolers are operational, deploy water tankers as needed, and regularly examine stations to ensure that water is available across platforms.

CR and WR will work with state and local governments to find alternate water supply options in places where there is a water shortage.

There will also be ongoing evaluations of the amenities provided to passengers, such as fans, water coolers, AC waiting areas, and water taps.

What’s next

According to IMD experts, hot and humid weather is predicted for 18 and 19 April.

Kamble told Indian Express, “From April to the onset of monsoon in June, we are expecting temperatures to be one-two degree above the normal level of 36 degrees Celsius. Heatwave days are also likely to increase this summer season. Instead of the usual three to four days of heatwave in a month, we are expecting a few more days.”

The weather agency stated that there may be light rain and thunderstorm activity in Thane and Palghar even as a heatwave engulfs the city and its surrounding regions. Senior scientists at IMD stated that the alert was sent out due to the anticipated appearance of clouds.

With inputs from agencies