Balmy weather to bid adieu shortly

Pune: Enjoy the pleasant weather to the hilt right now because it would soon bid adieu to the city.

The chilly conditions, including the cold winds blowing, would last only till the next 24 hours. A Met official on Wednesday said the cold winds were likely to be replaced by warm winds over the western parts of the country, but it was likely to take one or two more days for a similar change to happen over the central India, including parts of Maharashtra.

Currently, cold wave conditions are being reported from parts of the state, including Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha.

Anupam Kashyapi, head of weather, India meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, told TOI that the country would soon enter its last month of the winter season, February. Hence, temperature fluctuations — marked by a rising or dipping mercury — are being witnessed because of frequent western disturbances coming one after another.

“We have been witnessing consecutive western disturbances affecting parts of north India for the past one month, with fluctuating night temperatures during the course of these weather systems in the past few days,” said Kashyapi.

Night temperatures are said to rise when the north Indian region is under the influence of a western disturbance, while they tend to fall once the system passes away eastward or northeastward.

“In Pune, the minimum temperature had dipped to 8.3°C on January 26 and rose to 14.7°C by the next day — January 27. By January 28 morning, it had again dipped to 10.9°C. This happens when some western disturbances are not that strong, while others are relatively stronger. After the passage of a strong western disturbance, temperatures dip. Also, Pune orography influences fluctuations in temperature,” said Kashyapi.

The Met official said the current western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation extends over central parts of Afghanistan and neighbourhood. This system would soon pass northward or northeastward. Hence, the minimum temperature is likely to rise thereafter, after a period of 24 hours. Consequently, the city’s minimum temperature may also rise to 11°C by February 3.

The lowest minimum temperature in the city this winter was 5.9°C on December 29, 2018, and 6°C on December 30, 2018. TNN