Mumbai Faces Treble More Warm Nights Due to Climate Change, Says Study

Recent analysis reveals that Mumbai is significantly affected by its warm climate, impacting human health during nighttime when temperatures exceed 25°C. Research indicates that between 2018 and 2023, Mumbai experienced an average of 65 more nights annually with minimum temperatures surpassing 25°C due to global warming. In contrast, Delhi saw a modest increase of 3.7 warmer nights per year, while Bengaluru recorded no significant change in this regard.

According to an analysis conducted by Climate Central and Climate Trends, Mumbai experienced 92 warmer nights last year, a number that would have been only 30 without the influence of climate change.

Experts have highlighted that the urban heat island effect manifests most prominently in nighttime temperatures. Roxy Mathew Koll, a climate scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology in Pune, explained that cities become urban heat islands as their infrastructure—buildings, roads, and other surfaces—absorb and release heat, leading cities to be several degrees warmer than the surrounding rural areas.