The winter chill is likely to give a skip to Pune and adjoining areas during this week as the Met department has forecast light rainfall. Officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, said that cloudy and overcast conditions will dominate the city during the next three to four days, resulting in the rise in mercury levels. The minimum temperature recorded in the city on Sunday rose to 12.7 degrees Celsius. IMD officials said the minimum temperatures will rise further and hover between 12 and 15 degrees Celsius in Pune and neighboring areas in the coming days. The northern parts of Maharashtra, along with Pune city, had experienced cold wave conditions on Friday and Saturday, which had brought down night temperatures at most places below 10 degrees. “A fresh western disturbance will cross the northernmost regions of the country, but it is not expected to bring cold winds over to Maharashtra. The minimum temperatures will remain above normal till January 25,” said a Met official. Nashik (11 degrees Celsius) continued to remain the coldest city in the state. Other cities where cold conditions were experienced include Jalgaon (11.2 degrees), Malegaon (12 degrees), Aurangabad (12.6 degrees), Buldhana (13.6 degrees) and Satara (14.3 degrees Celsius). “There are chances of haze and cloudy conditions during morning hours, affecting the visibility. Besides, cold day conditions due to cold breeze and lack of sunlight will remain dominant in the days to come,” said an IMD official. Meanwhile, IMD officials said that since the season has not seen significant cold, no loss of rabi crops have so far been reported. However, formation of ground frost could have some adverse effect on the standing crops, officials said.
