Mumbai sizzles at 35 degrees Celsius as monsoon stays put in southern part of state

Both the young and old endure the heat of the sun near Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj Terminus in Fort on Monday. PIC/SAYYED SAMEER ABEDI

With the usual dates for the annual arrival of southwest monsoon - June 10 or 11 - passing by, the city continues to receive no respite from hot and humid weather conditions, with maximum temperatures hovering around 35 degrees C and average relative humidity between 60 per cent and 67 per cent.

Meanwhile, alerts from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) have oscillated between hot and humid, and alerts on thunderstorm and lightning issued throughout the weekend.

While the IMD on Sunday indicated thundershowers and gusty winds up to 40 kmph, it issued a yellow alert on Monday for hot and humid conditions with the possibility of light rain for Mumbai.

Since June 1, Mumbai's Santacruz weather station, whose readings are considered the official Mumbai figures, has recorded 12.9 mm of rainfall, while its Colaba counterpart has recorded 4.2 mm.

IMD chief's comment:

Bikram Singh, director, IMD Mumbai, on Monday told mid-day, "According to normal conditions for the southwest monsoon, rains should have arrived in Mumbai now. However, the monsoon has only touched the south of Maharashtra and has not advanced from there over the past two days. This is why Mumbai is experiencing hot and humid weather.

An alert for thunderstorm and rain is given in case of Mumbai when we spot synoptic situations [large-scale summaries of weather elements at a specific moment] matching the update, such as a spurt in humidity." According to a statement from IMD, the northern limit of the southwest monsoon has passed through Solapur, and it is likely to advance into more parts of Maharashtra in the next four to five days.

Private forecaster's speculations

>> According to Vagaries of the Weather, a private weather blog…
>> From June 17 to 23, rain activity is expected to increase, with scattered thundershowers. However, widespread and heavy rainfall is not expected.
>> On June 22 or 23, the southwest monsoon is likely to arrive
>> June 25 could be Mumbai's latest-ever monsoon arrival date