PUNE: The city made its warmest start to December on Tuesday in over a decade under the impact of the warm and partially moist easterly wind, registering the highest minimum temperature of December 1 since 2009.
Shivajinagar recorded a minimum temperature of 18.2°C on Tuesday. It was 18.5°C in Pashan and 19°C in Lohegaon. A comparison of the minimum temperature on Tuesday in Shivajinagar with the minimums recorded on the first day of this month during the last decade revealed that this December 1 was the warmest since 2009.
Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, told TOI that the above-normal minimum temperatures were a result of constant easterly wind flow in the region, which were warm and partially moist.
“The brewing storms over the Indian region, including very severe cyclonic storm Nivar over the southwest Bay of Bengal around November 25, also played a role.
Another system has formed currently — a deep depression over the southwest and the adjoining southeast Bay of Bengal. The system is very likely to intensify into a cyclonic storm by Tuesday night and move west-northwestward.”
Kashyapi said the easterly wind regime predominating parts of Maharashtra had been bringing in slight moisture from these systems, causing up to 4 okta clouding (partly cloudy to mainly clear skies) in some parts even during the night time.
“Cold northerly winds are thus not getting a chance to come to parts of Maharashtra, including Pune. Even after the brewing cyclonic storm makes a landfall, moisture is expected to keep coming into parts of Maharashtra. It means we do not expect minimum temperatures to change much at least during the next couple days in Pune,” he said.
Kashyapi said there was a possibility of another system forming over the Bay of Bengal during the upcoming week, slightly stronger than the current one.
It might cause further moisture incursion over parts of Maharashtra, he added.