26 December,2010 07:31 AM IST | | Rinkita Gurav
Predicts India Meteorological Department; it will only get colder
Mumbai remained chilly on Christmas night and according to India Meteorological Department (IMD), it will only get colder.
Keep the woolens on, says India Meteorological Department
The minimum temperature that Santacruz recorded was 16 degrees while Colaba recorded 20 degrees with the maximum temperature recorded being 28 degrees Celsius in both areas. Dr R V Sharma, deputy director, IMD-western region said, "In the past few years, December has always been colder towards the end. So it is possible that the temperatureu00a0may fall down a few degrees below the normal. So Mumbaikars, be prepared with extra sweaters and scarves for December 31, which may record lower temperatures."
On Friday night, people were seen in jackets and scarves attending midnight mass at various churches in the city. Benzer Dias (26), a resident of Santacruz who attended the midnight mass said, "The mass ended at 11 pm after which it began getting colder as the night progressed. We had never witnessed such a misty Christmas night"
Differences in temperature
Dr Sharma said, "This depends on the local factors, Colaba area is closer to the sea and the warm winds can mix up with the cold northerly winds but Santacruz area isu00a0away from the sea with open spaces also. Colaba has too many structures and high rise buildings which also control the temperature."
Dr Sharma added, "There are fluctuations in the flow of northerly winds because of which there is an abrupt rise and drop in the temperature. Looking at the previous years, December has turned colder than normal." The weather in Mumbai depends mainly on the weather patterns in northern part of the country, explains Dr Sharma.
For the next 48 hours, the IMD predicts clear skies with the maximum temperature predicted to hit 29 degrees and minimum temperature at 16 degrees.