Rain, thunderstorm & lightning take Pune by surprise

In the absence of an active monsoon, the day temperatures over the city have been soaring since the beginning of September, said an official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD).

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The IMD has forecast cloudy weather conditions with the possibility of unseasonal rains over Maharashtra during the next five days.

A sudden downpour that lasted over an hour — accompanied by strong winds, thunder and lightning — caught Pune residents unawares on Saturday evening.

In the absence of an active monsoon, the day temperatures over the city have been soaring since the beginning of September, said an official at the India Meteorological Department (IMD). The day temperature recorded on Saturday was 34.7 degrees Celsius, which was over 6 degrees above normal, making the day a humid one.

“Along with rise in temperature, there has been a significant increase in moisture levels. This led to the formation of Cumulonimbus clouds that triggered convective rain over a localised area. A similar thunderstorm is expected over Pune on Sunday,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather department, IMD, Pune.

The weather agency has also forecast light to moderate rain for Pune district till September 11.

Meanwhile, in Maharashtra, Konkan and Vidarbha will continue to receive good rain over the next week. So far, the state has recorded surplus rainfall of 13 per cent.

Konkan and Madhya Maharashtra subdivisions continue to remain in the ‘rainfall excess’ category, whereas Marathwada and Vidarbha remain in the ‘normal’ category.

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