Mumbai woke up on Thursday to a noticeably wintry morning, featuring clear skies, gentle winds, and a mild chill that offered a refreshing break from the city’s usual humid warmth. Despite the pleasant atmosphere, a faint layer of haze hovered over the skyline, highlighting Mumbai’s ongoing battle with worsening air quality. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted a comfortable day with temperatures between 15°C and 32°C. However, the city’s air quality told a different story, with an early morning AQI of 144 as per AQI.in, placing Mumbai in the ‘poor’ category. Although slightly better than last month’s severe readings, the air remains unsafe for sensitive groups. Experts cite extensive construction work—ranging from metro corridors and bridges to coastal road stretches and private real estate projects—as the major contributors to rising dust and fine particulate pollution.
Maharashtra began Thursday on a cold note, with several districts reporting low temperatures under clear skies. Coastal Ratnagiri registered a minimum of 17.2°C with no rainfall, while Dahanu recorded a cooler 15.2°C along with 71 percent relative humidity. Colaba and the Thane Belapur belt experienced comparatively warmer mornings at 20.9°C and 20.2°C, respectively, both witnessing dry weather, according to IMD data. Western Maharashtra saw noticeably colder conditions, with Pune touching 7.9°C and Baramati dipping to 7.5°C. Nasik reported 8.2°C, Satara 10.0°C, and Chhatrapati Sambhaji Nagar 10.8°C. Kolhapur and Sangli recorded minimums of 14.4°C and 12.3°C, with haze observed in Sangli while Kolhapur stayed dry.
Northern and central parts of Maharashtra also experienced a firm winter chill. Nandurbar recorded a minimum temperature of 12.4°C, whereas Ahilyanagar dropped to a notably cold 6.6°C paired with high humidity at 90 percent. Relative humidity across the state varied significantly, ranging from 30 percent in Ratnagiri, indicating dry coastal air, to 89 percent in Pune, reflecting moist inland conditions. Rainfall remained absent across Maharashtra, with no precipitation reported in any major region over the past 24 hours. Seasonal rainfall accumulations stood at 405.7 mm in Ratnagiri, 296.4 mm in MWR, 184.6 mm in Dahanu, 112.5 mm in Sangli, and between 70 mm and 84 mm in Pune, Baramati, and Ahilyanagar. Visibility stayed mostly clear, with Satara reporting unobstructed skies and Sangli experiencing slight haze.