At 41.6° C, Pune registers hottest May day since 2015
Pune witnessed record-breaking heat as Lohegaon touched 43.8°C and Shivajinagar logged its hottest May temperature in more than a decade.
The heat had broken a decade-long record for the month of May in Pune on Sunday itself when the maximum temperature in Shivajinagar reached 41.4 degrees Celsius. (Express File Photo) Breaking a decade long record for the month of May in Pune, the maximum temperature recorded at Lohegaon was 43.8 degrees Celsius on Monday — 6.3 degrees Celsius above normal. In Pune’s main weather station at Shivajinagar, the maximum temperature touched 41.6 degrees Celsius, 4.1 degrees Celsius above normal and higher than any May day since, at least, 2015.
The heat had broken a decade-long record for the month of May in Pune on Sunday itself when the maximum temperature in Shivajinagar reached 41.4 degrees Celsius. Before this, the highest maximum temperature recorded in Shivajinagar was 41.3 degrees Celsius in 2019. Last year, the highest maximum temperature at Shivajinagar weather station was 41.2 degrees Celsius.
Incidentally, the all-time highest maximum temperature for May in Shivajinagar was 43.3 degrees Celsius on May 7, 1889. On Monday, even the leafy neighbourhood of Koregaon Park was scorching hot. Wadgaonsheri registered 41.2 degrees Celsius while Magarpatta and Chinchwad were around 41 degrees Celsius. Hadapsar crossed the 40 degrees Celsius mark. Pashan was cooler, at 30 degrees Celsius.
Monday got off to a record-breaking start very early. The morning temperature in Shivajinagar touched 24.8 degrees Celsius — a 2.5 degrees Celsius rise since Sunday – which was the highest minimum temperature of this season.
The high minimum temperature was evident across Pune on Monday, from Hadapsar, where the mercury rose from 26.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday to 28.7 degrees Celsius, and Magarpatta, which experienced a 2 degrees Celsius rise to 28.2 degrees Celsius, to Wadgaonsheri, whose 27.9 degrees Celsius morning warmth was more uncomfortable than the 25.8 degrees Celsius the day before. In Chinchwad, the minimum temperature rose to 27 degrees Celsius from 24.8 degrees Celsius. Pashan appeared to buck the pattern, by registering 17.2 degrees Celsius on May 11, from the previous morning’s 20.4 degrees Celsius.
This was an indication that this was going to be a very warm week indeed. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has announced a heat wave in Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada on May 12 and 13. There is a heatwave alert on May 14 and 15 in Vidarbha, which has been experiencing the highest maximum temperatures in the state. On Monday, Akola recorded 45.1 degrees Celsius, the warmest in Maharashtra.
“The temperatures are rising and crossing 40 degrees Celsius in large parts of Pune. We are expecting similar conditions for the next four-five days,” said SD Sanap, Scientist with IMD, Pune. He adds that the, relatively, lower temperatures in the last week was due to a trough that was present over the region, due to which there was moisture coming in from the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal.
“The trough has weakened and moved away, so we see the Northerly winds blowing into the region. These winds are carrying heat from the warm regions of Rajasthan and Madhya Pradesh, contributing to the increase in the temperature here. Among the other reasons are the clear skies that allow the sun’s rays to hit the earth directly, and the lack of moisture in the atmosphere,” said Sanap.
Share
