Mumbai weather updates: City wakes up to cooler morning, dense smog and rising pollution concerns

Pic/PTI

Mumbai woke up on Tuesday to a mildly cool morning, with minimum temperatures slipping just below 22 degrees Celsius. What many expected to be a pleasant start quickly turned uncomfortable as a thick layer of smog blanketed the city, reducing visibility and causing eye irritation and breathing discomfort among early commuters. The conditions once again underscored the increasing prevalence of pollution-related health issues across the metropolis.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), clear skies are expected through the day, with maximum temperatures likely to rise to around 34 degrees Celsius by afternoon. While the early-morning nip is set to continue for a few more days, there is still no clarity on when the city can expect a meaningful improvement in air quality.

IMD data also highlighted the weather contrasts across Mumbai. Colaba recorded a minimum temperature of 23.9 degrees Celsius with 90 per cent relative humidity, while Santacruz was significantly cooler at 21.9 degrees Celsius with humidity around 82 per cent - reflecting the city's characteristic microclimatic variation between the island city and the suburbs.

Meanwhile, Mumbai's overall Air Quality Index (AQI) climbed to 176 on Tuesday, placing it in the moderate category.

Meanwhile, a thick layer of toxic smog engulfed the national capital on Tuesday morning as the average Air Quality Index (AQI) stood at 363 at 7 am, falling under the 'very poor' category despite the Graded Response Action Plan (GRAP)-III in effect across Delhi and the National Capital Region (NCR), according to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

A layer of thick smog engulfed several areas, showing little improvement from Monday morning's AQI of 396.

According to the CPCB, the Wazirpur area recorded an AQI of 400. The AQI in Anand Vihar was 401, which falls under the 'Severe' pollution category.

Bawana recorded the AQI level of 388 at 7 am, falling under the 'very poor' category. In contrast, NSIT Dwarka recorded an AQI of 314, according to data from the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).

According to AQI categorisation, 0-50 is 'good', 51-100 'satisfactory', 101-200 'moderate', 201-300 'poor', 301-400 'very poor', and 401-500 'severe'.