At 41.8°C, Pune experiences hottest April day since 2010

PUNE: The city on Thursday experienced the hottest April day since 2010 with the maximum temperature surging to 41.8°C at Lohegaon and 41.6°C at Shivajinagar.
The maximum temperature recorded at the Shivajinagar weather station of the India Meteorological Department (IMD) was 3.6 degrees above normal on Thursday.
The night provided no succour either with the minimum temperature in the city on Thursday being 25.1°C — 4.6 degrees above normal. Warm night conditions prevailed in most parts of central Maharashtra.
Warm night conditions are said to occur when the night temperature is 4.5 degrees above normal and the day temperature is above 40°C.
IMD officials warned of imminent heat wave conditions for some parts of the state till at least the weekend, with dire warnings for Vidarbha. Akola at 46.3°C — 4.8 degrees above normal — recorded the highest temperature in the state on Thursday.
“Some parts of Vidarbha will experience a heat wave and there is a possibility of a severe heat wave in isolated pockets there. There may be isolated heat wave conditions in some parts of central Maharashtra and Marathwada too over the next four days. Pune may experience even higher temperatures in the next few days,” Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather at IMD Pune, told TOI.
The IMD iterated Wednesday’s prediction of little possibility of any rain in the city and surrounding regions. Parts of southern Maharashtra are expected to receive light rainfall only in the end of April or the beginning of May. Gusty winds and partial cloud cover is expected in the afternoon in some parts surrounding the city in the next few days.
The forecasters stressed that the current heat conditions in the country were some of the strongest in the history at this time. Temperatures are expected increase further in the state.
“This is some of the strongest heat conditions ever recorded, mainly because of the duration of high temperatures and the area over which such conditions are prevailing. High temperatures like Thursday’s are not just being recorded in Maharashtra, but also in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and some parts in Odisha, Telangana, as well as Haryana. There is poor moisture incursion in the state. An anti-cyclonic system is there in the upper air,” Kashyapi added.
Doctors, as well as the IMD, urged people to take all possible precautions to protect themselves against such scorching temperatures. The IMD advised people to avoid going outdoors between 11am and 4pm or wear predominantly white clothing and being properly hydrated before stepping out.
Medical practitioners also warned people against drinking chilled water or stepping into air-conditioned spaces immediately after commuting in the heat.