Cooler Sunday, but cloud cover to keep day temp around 38 deg C this week

Pune: All eyes are on the monsoon as summer is drawing to a close. Day temperatures will continue dropping till May 29, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Sunday.The maximum temperatures in the city are expected to remain between 37°C and 38°C over the next few days due to increasing cloud cover.Sunday was cooler. Shivajinagar and Lohegaon recorded 34.9°C and 35.6°C, respectively, below the normal by 1.7° and 1°. Met officials said this was the first significant drop in daytime temperatures in the last two months.Clear skies during the day are likely to turn cloudy by evening, with the possibility of thunderstorms, lightning and light rainfall in isolated parts of the city.S D Sanap, senior scientist at IMD Pune, told TOI, “There is excessive moisture incursion over the city and adjoining districts, hence the cloudy conditions over the last 48 hours and a drop in daytime temperature. It is expected to continue for the next two days. Thereafter, we expect some rise in daytime temperatures again, but temperatures are likely to remain below 40°C.”Parts of the city experienced a drizzle and weather conditions remained mostly cloudy, particularly in the evening, accompanied by windy conditions on Sunday. People have been advised to remain cautious during thunderstorms.The Met department forecast sporadic rainfall activity in parts of Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada, while Vidarbha is expected to continue experiencing dry weather conditions.“Kolhapur, Sangli, Satara, some districts in Konkan and Dharashiv district have received rainfall in isolated pockets. There is a possibility of more spells of rain in the coming days,” an IMD official said.Some districts in Madhya Maharashtra recorded a drop in daytime temperatures. Mahabaleshwar recorded 25.2°C, the lowest daytime temperature in the state.But in Vidarbha region all districts recorded temperatures above 40°C. Brahmapuri recorded 47.2°C, which was 4.6° above the normal.Monsoon’s progressMet officials said the southwest monsoon has covered the Andaman and Nicobar Islands on Sunday and is expected to advance further into the Andaman Sea before setting over Kerala, with an expected onset date being May 26. “We cannot rule out the possibility of a delay of a couple of days over Kerala which may affect further progress of the monsoon. Usually, it reaches Konkan between June 7 and June 10,” another IMD official said. Meanwhile, families made the most of the last weekend at Diveaghar beach in the Konkan before the water rides formally close on Monday for the monsoon.