Mumbai in haze due to weather change

Mumbaikars have been waking up to hazy mornings for a couple of days now, and the condition on Monday seemed worse as the haze continued to envelop the city throughout the day.

As per IMD officials the haze was a result of the transition of weather, the effect of moisture on the hot easterly winds coming from the northern part of the country as well as pollution. "The high levels of Particulate Matter (PM) pollutants suspended in the air and a combination of the heat has been resulting in hazy conditions," said the IMD official.

Meanwhile Mahalaxmi-based weather enthusiast Rajesh Kapadia, who has been in the field for over 45 years said that hazy conditions will continue until city sees an influx of northerly winds. "It's a mixture of smog and haze that has reduced visibility across the city. City is likely to remain warm but, we expect a slight dip in night temperatures; that too will not be a great relief," he said adding that day and night time temperatures are likely to reduce from the second week of November.

On Monday city's maximum temperature was recorded at 35.7 degree celsius while the minimum was recorded at 25.3 degree celsius with a humidity of 83 per cent at 8.30am and that of 74 per cent at 5.30pm.

Meanwhile the Air Quality Index (AQI) of the city recorded by the System of Air Quality Weather Forecasting and Research (SAFAR) was rated as 'Moderate' at 178. However, the levels of PM 2.5 was recorded high at several of the 10 locations where SAFAR monitors the AQI.