Rain lashes Pune, brings relief from sweltering heat

It was the first summer rains in the city. As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), incursion of moisture and local disturbance led to rains.

Formation of cumulonimbus cloud was reported from in and around Pune region, resulting in thunder and lighting.

Besides Pashan, Shivajinagar (5.9 mm), Chinchwad (5.5 mm), Lavale (7.5 mm) and Shivajinagar (5.9 mm) reported rainfall. Koregaon Park reported 3.5-mm rainfall.

Thanks to the rains, there was a sharp drop in the maximum temperature across the city and the district.

Shivajinagar’s observatory reported 36 degrees Celsius while Koregaon Park and Magarpatta recorded 36.8 degrees Celsius and 36.5 degrees Celsius, respectively.

Pune’s temperature has been crossing 40 degrees Celsius and the rains have come as a welcome relief. However, parts of the city reported waterlogging and traffic jams.

IMD had earlier issued an orange alert for Pune and its surrounding regions given the possibility of rains with thunder and lighting. Summers have been exceptionally hot in Pune in recent years with winters almost absent. This January was the hottest in the last 10 years. Lohegaon, Koregaon Park and Magarpatta recorded 40 degrees Celsius several times in March. IMD has warned of more intense heat this summer with more than usual days of heatwaves.