4 min readPuneFeb 6, 2026 05:45 PM IST
First published on: Feb 6, 2026 at 05:45 PM IST
On Friday, Pashan residents woke up to a cool 14.1 degree Celsius, signalling that summer might be in the air but winter had not departed yet. Shivajinagar had an even lower minimum temperature at 13.8 degree Celsius.
The same morning, however, people of Koregaon Park and Chinchwad might have given a thought to switching on the fan as it was around 18 degree Celsius outside. Magarpatta mornings are slightly warmer than most other parts of the city. On Friday, the mercury rose to 19.5 degree Celsius there, the same as Wadgaonsheri.
In Pune, the weather you get depends on where you live. While the condition of the sun and the clouds, among others, play a major role in what the thermometer shows, weather experts talk of other significant contributors to the temperature of an area.
Unexpected rise in mercury in Lavale
At the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Shivajinagar, scientist Dr Sudeep Kumar said he noticed that Lavale recorded a higher morning temperature than expected. “One might think that the temperature in Lavale would be lower, especially in winter, since it is located away from the city limits, but the records show it is a bit on the higher side,” he said.
“We checked with the Automatic Weather Station (AWS) team, which records the temperature, and found that the AWS is located in a college campus, close to buildings. Now, if there are lots of buildings in the vicinity, there will be changes in the temperature. especially the minimum temperature,” he added.
As the sun sets, the earth’s temperature begins to cool down as the day’s heat escapes through radiation. “But during the night, if there are a number of concrete buildings, we see a heat island effect. The concrete traps the heat or absorbs more heat. The concrete slabs emit heat even during the night. As a result, the atmosphere stays warm all the time. Urban heat islands are among the reasons that areas such as Koregaon Park, Magarpatta, Wadgaonsheri and Chinchwad usually record higher minimum temperatures. Vehicles also release fumes, which include greenhouse gases, and trap the heat further,” said Kumar.
The role of instruments
The instruments used to record the temperature plays a role in our understanding of the weather. “Is the temperature recorded manually or is it automatic? Is the reading taken by the IMD or a private company? Is the instrument kept in an open space? Does it get proper exposure, with no shadows of buildings falling on it? There should not be a lot of vegetation or any waterbody near where the temperature is being measured. If there is construction activity, including of the Pune Metro, there is a likelihood of the morning temperature increasing,” said Dr Anupam Kashyapi, former head of weather forecasting at IMD.
Saying that the temperature disparity is common in cities, Kashyapi added that vehicular congestion and population are other contributing factors. “One can argue that Shivajinagar, which is a highly congested area in terms of vehicles, people and buildings, records a low minimum temperature. Here, we have to keep in mind that the Shivajinagar observatory is located on the campus of the College of Agriculture. This is an open space, so the readings are credible,” he stated.
The hills between Senapati Bapat Road and Homi Bhabha Road play a role in decreasing the temperature in Pashan, he said, adding, “When you cross St Joseph High School and Loyola High School, you begin to feel a gust of cool air.”
Vehicular congestion and population are some of the factors that contribute to temperature disparities within a city, says Dr Anupam Kashyapi, former head of weather forecasting at IMD. (File photo) 
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