Night chill to ease in city, fresh rain expected

The city witnessed a sharp spell of November chill on Tuesday with the IMD’s Shivajinagar observatory recording a minimum temperature of 9.4°C

After experiencing a cold spell for over a week, the city is likely to experience a rise in minimum temperature. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast indicates that from November 18 onwards, the minimum temperature will increase in many areas in the state. Meanwhile, the weather forecast indicates a possibility of rainfall in west Maharashtra from November 22 onwards.

The temperature was below normal by 5.6 degree Celsius, even colder than Mahabaleshwar. (HT)

The city witnessed a sharp spell of November chill on Tuesday with the IMD’s Shivajinagar observatory recording a minimum temperature of 9.4°C, marking the city’s first single-digit reading of the season and the lowest so far this winter. The temperature was below normal by 5.6 degree Celsius, even colder than Mahabaleshwar, a popular hill station in western Maharashtra that recorded a minimum temperature of 10 degree Celsius.

On Wednesday too, the Shivajinagar station continued to record a single digit temperature - 9.5 degree Celsius. Along with Shivajinagar, six other stations in Pune district also recorded single digit temperature, between 7-9 degree Celsius. At 6.9, Haveli station marked the lowest minimum temperature in the district on November 18 so far.

The forecast suggests that no more fall is expected in minimum temperature from November 19 and it is expected to gradually rise by 2-4 degree Celsius across the state.

However, the city will soon experience the rain vibe. As per the weather bulletin issued by IMD on November 19, a low pressure area is likely to form over southeast Bay of Bengal around November 22. Thereafter, it is likely to move west-northwestwards and intensify into a depression over central parts of south Bay of Bengal around November 24. Thereafter, it is very likely to continue to move west-northwestwards and intensify further over southwest Bay of Bengal during subsequent 48 hours. Under the influence of this system, some areas in Maharashtra, including Pune, are likely to experience light to moderate rainfall in isolated areas.

“Currently, there is no significant weather warning for Maharashtra, even for Pune. The city is likely to experience a gradual rise in minimum temperature from November 19 onwards. From November 22 onwards, the city is expected to experience partly cloudy weather during late afternoon and evening hours. However, there is no significant rainfall warning issued for Pune yet, “ said S.D. Sanap, senior meteorologist from IMD Pune.