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The minimum temperature in Pune was 9 degrees C on Monday, according to the Shivajinagar station, marking seven consecutive days of the night-time temperature staying below 10 degree C. The Pashan station registered a minimum of 8.8 degree C, the coldest place in the city, on Monday.
“According to historical data, this kind of an event happened in 2018, when the minimum temperature was below 10 degrees C for eight consecutive days. Before that, it was in 2013 that around 16 days of December recorded minimum temperatures below 10 degrees,” says Dr Sudeep Kumar, Scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD) Pune.
He added that the weather office is not expecting any significant change in the temperature over the next three to four days. “The minimum temperature is likely to stay in the 10 degree C range during this time,” said Dr Sudeep.
The last time Pune experienced a double digit minimum temperature this season was on December 8, when temperatures reached 11.3 degrees C. The very next day, thanks to the northerlies and a clear sky, the minimum plunged to 8.9 degree C. The minimum temperature further decreased to 7.9 degree C on December 11 . Since then, the nights have been growing warmer, but marginally.
Though you might feel unusually cold when you get out of bed in the mornings, the minimum temperature is not very unusual. Based on records of the last 30 years, the normal minimum for this time of the year is 11.8 degrees C in Pune. “The present minimum temperature is only around 3 degree C below normal, which is a very marginal drop. Over most parts of Maharashtra, the minimum is in the below-normal range,” says Dr Sudeep.
Pune is also experiencing sharp diurnal variation. The maximum temperature in Pune on Monday was 29 degree C, which is 20 degree C above the minimum temperature. “There is low humidity in our region, as a result of which, the day-time warming rate is very high. At the same time, since we also have clear sky conditions, the earth’s surface cools very fast after sunset, so the night time temperature falls,” he says.
