MUMBAI, May 12 -- For Mumbaiites, the week began on a sweaty and exhausting note, quite literally, as intense heat and oppressive humidity gripped the city on Monday, pushing residents to seek shade, hydrate constantly and slow down through the day. Large parts of the city recorded daytime temperatures between 35degC and nearly 40degC, making it one of the hottest days of the season so far. According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the highest temperature in the Mumbai Metropolitan Region was recorded at Ram Mandir in Goregaon, where the mercury soared to a scorching 39.7degC on Monday afternoon. Vikhroli followed closely at 38.5degC, while temperatures touched 37.3degC at Bandra, 37.1degC at Dahisar and 36.8degC at Vidyavihar. The IMD has placed Mumbai under a yellow alert for heat, warning residents of hot and humid conditions over the next few days. The Santacruz observatory, which is representative of Mumbai's suburban weather, recorded a maximum temperature of 35.8degC, 2.2 degrees above normal for this time of the year. South Mumbai too witnessed uncomfortable conditions, with the Colaba observatory recording a maximum temperature of 35.4degC, which was 1.5 degrees above normal. Nighttime brought little relief. Minimum temperatures remained unusually high at 28degC in the suburbs and 27.5degC in south Mumbai. Humidity continued to play a major role in worsening the heat stress. South Mumbai remained more humid than the suburbs through the day. At 8.30 am, humidity levels in Colaba stood at 86%, before dipping to 66% by evening. In the suburbs, humidity reduced from 72% in the morning to 54% at 5.30pm, though the air remained sticky....