India, Feb. 26 -- Coastal areas of Maharashtra have been experiencing heatwave-like conditions since February 24 - an unusual for the month.

For Mumbai and its nearby areas, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a heatwave alert for February 25 and February 26.

On February 25, the weather station in Santacruz on Tuesday recorded 38.7 degrees Celsius, which was 5.9 degrees Celsius above the normal range and the highest maximum temperature recorded since February 19, 2017, when it was 38.8 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature on Monday was 38.4 degrees Celsius.

The IMD has also predicted a gradual rise in the minimum temperatures across northwest India, as reported by ANI.

According to Sushma Nair, scientist, IMD, Mum...