Mumbai nears 40°C, IMD issues heatwave warning
What's the story
Mumbai has registered its first near-40°C temperature of 2025.
The Santacruz observatory of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 39.2 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, surpassing last March's highest temperature.
The spike in temperature has led the IMD to issue a heatwave warning for Mumbai as well as Thane and Raigad districts.
Record-breaking temperatures
Temperature surge exceeds previous year's records
The temperature at Santacruz was 6.8 degrees above normal and higher than last year's highest March temperature of 38.8 degrees Celsius on March 22.
Colaba's IMD observatory recorded a day temperature of 38 degrees Celsius, which was 6.9 degrees above normal.
This is the first time this year that Mumbai has witnessed such high temperatures in March.
IMD criteria
Heatwave warnings issued for coastal stations
The IMD issues heatwave warnings when temperatures at any coastal station are likely to reach 37 degrees Celsius, and at least two stations register departures from the normal temperature range of 4.5-6.4 degrees Celsius.
The alerts were issued on the morning of March 11, predicting hot and humid weather on Tuesday.
Power consumption
Peak power demand rises amid increasing temperatures
Rising temperatures have increased electricity consumption across Maharashtra, with peak power demand touching 30,000MW for the second day in a row.
But weather enthusiasts are expecting a drop in day temperatures due to the late onset of the sea breeze over Mumbai.
The delay resulted in a rise in temperatures on Tuesday but is expected to bring some relief from extreme heat in the next few days.