The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow alert for Mumbai and several neighbouring districts in Maharashtra, forecasting hot and humid conditions in isolated pockets as warmer weather sets in.
According to the IMD’s latest bulletin, parts of Mumbai, Thane, Palghar, and Raigad are expected to experience these uncomfortable conditions over the coming days, with the alert specifically highlighting elevated temperatures combined with high humidity in select areas.
On Wednesday morning, Mumbai recorded a minimum temperature of 24.0°C at Colaba and 22.6°C at Santacruz, the IMD reported. The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 103 — classified as ‘satisfactory’ — though it may cause mild breathing discomfort for people with respiratory or heart conditions. Higher localised readings were recorded in Andheri East (149), Bandra Kurla Complex (126), Borivali East (120), Deonar (135), Chembur (96), Byculla (71), and Colaba (69).
The current weather pattern is influenced by a Western Disturbance appearing as a trough in the mid-tropospheric westerlies, an upper-air cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan, and strong subtropical westerly jet streams over northwest India. A fresh Western Disturbance is expected to impact the Western Himalayan region from March 6 onwards.
Looking ahead, minimum temperatures are forecast to rise gradually by 2–3°C over the next four days, then remain largely stable, staying 1.6–5.0°C above normal for the next seven days. Maximum temperatures are likely to increase by 3–4°C over the next five days before levelling off, remaining appreciably to markedly above normal (3.1°C or more) throughout the week.
Daytime surface winds are expected to blow at sustained speeds of 15–25 km/h on March 4 and 5, with occasional gusts reaching up to 35 km/h.
These projections point to persistently warmer-than-average conditions across parts of Maharashtra as the pre-summer period advances, with no significant relief expected in the near term.