“… The high temperatures lasted for a brief period. Such heatwaves are not common in February,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather department at IMD. (Representational Image)

Winter has come to an end in Maharashtra sooner than usual, officials at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, said on Sunday. From the first week of February, minimum temperatures had begun to show a rising trend and this trend has prevailed till now, observed IMD authorities.

Last week, day temperatures rose to such an extent that some pockets in Konkan experienced heat wave-like conditions. Dahanu, Vengurla, Ratnagiri and Mumbai were among the hottest places along the coast, where temperatures soared to 38 degrees Celsius.

“… The high temperatures lasted for a brief period. Such heatwaves are not common in February,” said Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather department at IMD.

For the second time in the week, Panjim (36.6 degrees Celsius) and Ratnagiri (35.7 degrees Celsius) faced heat wave-like conditions on Sunday. The temperature departures recorded here stood at 4.9 degrees Celsius and 4.7 degrees Celsius, respectively, from what is recorded normally during this time of the year.

Mornings, however, continued to remain pleasant over northern Maharashtra, with minimum temperatures hovering around 13 to 15 degrees Celsius. “There are still northerly winds blowing over the northern parts and this could keep temperatures over north Madhya Maharashtra in check,” said Kashyapi.

The graph of maximum temperatures recorded over the state has seen a steady rise and the trend will continue till this week, said Met officials. “Till early March, day temperatures will rise and remain on the higher side, mainly for Konkan and Goa,” he added.

Madhya Maharashtra continued to reel under hot day conditions, with maximum temperatures ranging between 34 degrees Celsius and almost 37 degrees Celsius recorded on Sunday. Malegaon, with a maximum temperature of 36.8 degrees Celsius, was the hottest city in Maharashtra on Sunday.