The minimum temperature in Pune was 13.8° Celsius. (File photo)
Winter may soon be coming to an end in Maharashtra with cold conditions likely to prevail during the first week of February, officials at the India Meteorological Depar-tment (IMD) said. On Sunday, the minimum temperature in Pune was 13.8 degrees Celsius.
“There will be a slight drop in temperature under the influence of fresh western disturbance, which is likely to pass over the extreme northern areas of the country. The minimum temperatures could fall by three to four degrees below normal after February 4 and may prevail till February 6,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head, weather department, IMD, Pune.
Besides, a cyclonic circulation is prevailing over south Konkan which could affect temperatures over the state. However, the inflow of moisture-laden easterly winds continues over the Indian mainland this winter season.
“The moist winds will interact with dry and cold westerly winds coming-in from the Arabian Sea, as a result of which some thunderstorm and rainfall is expected over central and eastern parts of the country,” said a Met official. Meteorologists said that days were colder than the nights over Maharashtra. The prolonged presence of anti-cyclone over central India prevented the penetration of cold northerly winds into Maharashtra, a Met official said.
“The winds managed to reach only the extreme northern parts of the state and the cold conditions were mostly reported from North Madhya Maharashtra and Vidarbha. As such, there was no instance of coldwave condition that affected the state,” added Kashyapi. The winds helped keep cold conditions over Maharashtra at bay. “The moisture-laden easterly and westerly winds kept temperatures above normal for most days in January,” said an official.
On Sunday, Gondia (11.6 degrees Celsius), Mahabaleshwar (12.3 degrees Celsius), Bhramhapuri (12.8 degrees Celsius) and Nagpur (13.4 degrees Celsius) were among the coldest cities in Maharashtra.
The Indian Express is now on Telegram. Click here to join our channel (@indianexpress) and stay updated with the latest headlines