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Rain back after a week, may be last spell of southwest monsoon
On Wednesday, October 8, the city received light to moderate rainfall in scattered pockets. While Pashan recorded 33.8 mm rainfall, Shivajinagar recorded 12 mm
After a short gap of one week, the rain returned to Pune city on October 8. However, this might be the last spell of the southwest monsoon as the state will soon experience the retreat of the monsoon as indicated by the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
On Wednesday, October 8, the city received light to moderate rainfall in scattered pockets. While Pashan recorded 33.8 mm rainfall, Shivajinagar recorded 12 mm. There was no rainfall in Lohegaon till 5.30 pm whereas Chinchwad recorded barely 3 mm rainfall.
S D Sanap, senior meteorologist from IMD Pune, said, “Currently, there is no active weather system over Maharashtra. The rainfall experienced in the city today was mainly due to local conditions such as increase in temperature. If we see the rainfall data, some areas in the city received significant rainfall while others saw brief spells.”
Since the beginning of October, the city has been experiencing significant variation in temperature. On October 1, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 28.7 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 19.9 degrees Celsius. Temperatures rose steadily over the next two days, reaching 31.2 degrees Celsius and 20.9 degrees Celsius, on October 3. On October 4 however, the maximum temperature dipped slightly to 30.8 degrees Celsius while the minimum rose to 21.8 degrees Celsius. In the last 24 hours, the maximum temperature increased sharply. On October 8, the maximum temperature recorded was 33.2 mm which is above normal level by 1.2 mm. However, the minimum temperature stood at 19.4 mm which is below normal level by one degree.
The rainfall activity on Wednesday is an indication of the beginning of the withdrawal of the monsoon. “The variability in rainfall is a clear indication of the beginning of the monsoon withdrawal process and soon, we will experience the retreat of the southwest monsoon from Maharashtra,” Sanap said.
As per the IMD, the withdrawal of the monsoon is likely to begin in Maharashtra in the next two to three days. The city is likely to experience light to moderate rainfall October 9 onwards whereas from October 10, the city is likely to experience clear weather conditions with no chance of rainfall activity.
Despite the early onset of the withdrawal of the monsoon this year, the monsoon retreat has been stalled due to the formation of Cyclone Shakti over the Arabian Sea. With the system expected to weaken soon, the withdrawal process is expected to resume. In its latest weather bulletin issued on October 5, the IMD said that conditions are becoming favourable for further withdrawal of the southwest monsoon from some parts of Maharashtra in the next two to three days. This marks a delay in the withdrawal of the monsoon from Maharashtra as the process traditionally starts around October 5.
