December among Pune's 3 warmest in 4 years

PUNE: The city has experienced three of its warmest Decembers in the decade in the last four years itself, including 2022 when its average night temperature for the month stayed at 14.4°C, Met department data showed on Tuesday.
Even during the December of 2021, the average night temperature in Pune was at 14.4°C. The warmest December for Pune was, however, recorded in 2019, when the average night temperature had increased to 16.7°C. The Decembers of 2019, 2021, 2022 have recorded the highest average night temperature since 2012, the data showed.
Anupam Kashyapi, the head of the weather forecasting division at India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, said the easterly wave was predominant during many days during December 2022 in southern peninsular, as well as south central Maharashtra, including Pune. "Hence, wind pattern was easterly/east-southeasterly. These winds blow from the Bay of Bengal and are slightly moist. They tend to raise the minimum temperatures in the areas under their influence via development of high to medium clouds," he said.
The latter part of the first December fortnight last year had also witnessed high minimum temperatures due to the remnant of cyclone Mandous. The city's night temperature rose a staggering 8° in just 24 hours on December 12, from 12.3°C to 20.8°C.
Kashyapi said, "IMD forecasts then had indicated a significant increase in cloud cover in the south central parts of Maharashtra, including Pune . Therefore, there was also a likely chance of light rain associated with thundery activity during those days. As a result, minimum temperature had shot up to over 20°C then."
He said the increase in cloud amount, as well as the rise in minimum temperatures, was a result of the remnants of the cyclone Mandous. "The system had weakened gradually in the form of a cyclonic circulation and part of its moisture regime came under the influence of the easterly waves. The remnant of the system then continued moisture supply over parts of Maharashtra, even up to south Gujarat and south Madhya Pradesh, causing increase in night temperatures in the region," Kashyapi said.
The average minimum temperature in Shivajinagar during December 2022 was at 11.8°C. But on most days during the month, the minimum temperature was much higher.
Around Christmas too, the minimums were on the higher side in Pune. An IMD update in the last week of December last year had alerted about a depression over southwest Bay of Bengal, which moved east-northeastwards. It was likely to move slowly, make a loop and then move west-southwestwards towards Comorin Area across Sri Lanka.
"That system also brought in moisture towards parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, causing a rise in minimums for some days. The proximity of the system in southern peninsula was responsible for moisture incursion. South-southeasterly or southeasterly wind from southern peninsula had brought moisture over south central parts of Maharashtra, including Pune district, around the time of Christmas 2022, causing some clouding, which caused minimums to stay on the higher side," Kashyapi added.