Written by Aryesh Chakraborty Pune and areas surrounding it, including Pashan, Lohegaon and Lavale, are set to witness a clear and pleasant weekend as the Southwest Monsoon continues its retreat from the region, according to the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) local forecast. The weather is expected to remain partly cloudy on Saturday and Sunday with no significant rain. Daytime temperatures are likely to stay between 32 degree Celsius and 34 degree Celsius, while night temperatures will range between 18 degree Celsius and 22 degree Celsius. Anupam Kashyapi, former head of the weather forecasting division at IMD, Pune, said the city is already entering its post-monsoon phase. “The relative humidity levels are slowly going down, and compared to last year, this is happening almost a week in advance,” he told The Indian Express. Kashyapi noted that the typical ‘October heat’ will be milder this year. “Usually, we call this the October heat, but this time it is not that conspicuous. The earth’s surface has already cooled down a bit, and heating hasn’t picked up yet,” he said. While the daytime temperature is expected to go up around 32-34 degree Celsius during this period, it may rise up to 33-35 degree Celsius in mid-October before gradually declining in the latter half of the month, he added. Explaining the partly cloudy conditions forecast for the weekend, Kashyapi said, “When it’s cloudy, the maximum temperature decreases, while the minimum increases, so the overall ambient temperature feels higher due to the moisture. The real feel for at least the next 48 hours will be higher than the actual temperature.” According to him, the monsoon is likely to withdraw completely from most of Maharashtra over the next few days. “In Pune, we have almost reached that point,” he said. Pashan recorded 34.4 mm of rainfall and Lohegaon 20.4 mm on Wednesday, while Chinchwad received 3.5 mm. The variations were due to localised convection, caused by a rise in temperature, hot air rising, and the formation of clouds, which are characteristic of the withdrawal of the monsoon, the IMD said. As a result, some parts of the city experienced thunderstorms and lightning, while other parts were sunny. Mild to moderate rain was also reported in some areas on Thursday. (Aryesh Chakraborty is an intern with The Indian Express.)
