After a hot spell in the beginning of February with maximum temperature touching 35 degrees and minimum temperatures a touch above normal, mercury subsequently fell to the normal of 16 degrees for the suburbs and 20 degrees for the island city. They hovered around that mark for a few days.

However, Wednesday recorded minimum temperatures almost three degrees below normal and down between three and four degrees from 20.6 degrees in Colaba and 17.2 degrees in Santacruz the previous day.

“Due to active western disturbances in north India and favourable wind conditions of northerly to north easterly in the city which are bringing the northern cold here, along with a high wind speed, has resulted in the fall in temperatures,” said V K Rajeev, director, India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Not only night time temperatures, but even day time temperatures were low, with Santacruz recording an unusual 26.5 degrees below its normal of 31 degrees. Colaba with 27.9 degrees, however, was around its normal of 29 degrees.

Weathermen attributed this to the strong winds blowing during the day with speeds of between 10 to 15 knots.

“Even though the temperatures are not very low, strong winds are giving a feeling of chill,” said Rajeev.

Weathermen expect the temperatures to drop further on Thursday. “Due to strong winds, temperatures may fall to 13 or even 12 degrees. However, in about two days, temperatures will come down to normal. Though another western disturbance is expected a week from now,” said Rajeev.

The Met department also said that although winter ends in February, winter-like conditions could persist upto the first week of March.

Fluctuating temperatures give rise to health problems

With the city recording its lowest temperatures in recent times, there has been a rise in the number of allergic, viral and bacterial infections in the city.

With weather experts predicting the winter to extend till first week of March, doctors say the bouts of viral infection will continue even in the transition phase from winter to summer.

“The chill in the air has given rise to an unexpected number of viral infection cases. Extreme temperature difference is conducive to the growth of viruses and with fluctuating temperatures, viral infections will also continue. It is important to treat these infections at the primary stage before they develop into serious chest congestions,” said Dr A Aboli, physician at KEM Hospital. He said the number of patients with respiratory problems in the hospital has increased by 20 per cent in the past two weeks.

After recording a scorching 35.2°Celsius last week, temperatures dropped drastically. According to the MET department, 31°Celsius and 19°Celsius are the normal maximum and minimum temperatures for Mumbai in February. Officials have attributed this fluctuation to the change in wind directions.