India, March 6 -- The city recorded its first heatwave of the season on Thursday, with temperatures in the suburbs climbing close to 39degC, well above the seasonal average.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the maximum temperature at its Santacruz observatory reached 38.9degC-about 5.9degC above normal. The spike met the criteria laid down by the weather agency for declaring a heatwave in Mumbai.

As per the IMD's standard parameters, a heatwave is declared when the maximum temperature crosses 37degC for at least two consecutive days and remains more than 5degC above the normal level. On Wednesday, the Santacruz station had already recorded a high of 38.7degC, which was 5.7degC above normal.

South Mumbai also witn...