After two-month cold spell, Pune logs sharp rise in minimum temperature

According to data from the IMD, the city’s minimum temperature climbed to 13.5 degrees Celsius; an increase of nearly three degrees Celsius within 24 hours

After nearly two months of persistent cold conditions, Pune recorded a sharp rise in minimum temperature on Friday, January 2, offering brief respite from the prolonged chill. According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city’s minimum temperature climbed to 13.5 degrees Celsius; an increase of nearly three degrees Celsius within 24 hours. The reading was also 2.2 degrees Celsius above the normal minimum temperature for this time of the year. On January 1, Pune had recorded a minimum temperature of 10.9 degrees Celsius.

Meteorologists attribute the increase in minimum temperature to the influence of multiple weather systems active across the country that have disrupted the flow of cold, northerly winds into the region. (REPRESENTATIVE PHOTO)

Meteorologists attribute the increase in minimum temperature to the influence of multiple weather systems active across the country that have disrupted the flow of cold, northerly winds into the region. According to the IMD weather bulletin issued on January 2, a western disturbance is currently present as an upper air cyclonic circulation over northwest Uttar Pradesh (UP) and the adjoining areas in the lower tropospheric levels, accompanied by a trough in the middle troposphere. In addition, upper air cyclonic circulations have been observed over northwest Bangladesh and adjoining sub-Himalayan West Bengal, as well as over northeast Assam and its neighbourhood.

The IMD has also noted the continued presence of a strong, subtropical westerly jet stream over north India with core wind speeds of around 115 knots at an altitude of 12.6 km above mean sea level. Further south, another upper air cyclonic circulation lies over southwest Bay of Bengal off the Sri Lanka coast, with an associated trough extending into interior Tamil Nadu. An additional upper air cyclonic circulation has been observed over coastal Karnataka in the lower tropospheric levels. Together, these systems have altered wind patterns and limited the penetration of colder air into Maharashtra.

S D Sanap, senior meteorologist, IMD Pune, said, “In Pune, the city will experience mainly clear skies over the next 48 hours. However, due to moisture incursion from westerly winds, morning haze may be observed.”

The sudden rise in night temperatures on Friday marks a noticeable departure from the trend since November of the city experiencing sustained cold with minimum temperatures frequently touching or dipping below the 10 degrees Celsius mark. December in particular witnessed several nights of single-digit temperatures, making it one of the colder winter periods in recent years.

While the IMD has forecast a gradual rise in minimum temperatures across the state over the next three days, this rise in temperatures is likely to be temporary according to weather experts. Anupam Kashyapi, former head of the weather and forecasting division at IMD Pune said that extended range forecasts indicate that night temperatures may again dip below normal levels later this month. “The current rise in temperature appears to be a temporary phase. IMD’s extended range forecast suggests below-normal night temperatures over Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh towards the end of January. A more pronounced fall in night temperatures is likely during the second week of January, particularly between January 9 and 15, across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha and West Bengal,” Kashyapi said.

He added that cold wave conditions are likely over parts of Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, West Bengal, Jharkhand and Odisha during this period. Daytime temperatures, too, are expected to remain three to four degrees Celsius below normal across Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Telangana till mid-January, indicating that winter conditions are far from over.