India, Nov. 20 -- The city woke up to its coldest morning of the season on Wednesday with the temperature at Santacruz dipping to 16.2deg Celsius. Air quality in several pockets of the city, however, dipped to 'moderate' to 'poor' and doctors reported a rise in respiratory and viral illnesses linked to pollution.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature at Santacruz fell sharply from Tuesday's 17.4degC to 16.2degC, placing it five degrees below normal, while the maximum was 33.3degC, around 0.7 degrees below normal.

At Colaba, the minimum stood at 21.6degC, around 1.9 degrees below normal, while the maximum touched 33.5degC, marginally below the seasonal norm.

IMD officials attributed the chill to...