Moisture incursion pushes up minimum temperatures across state

Pune: Mercury took an upward swing on Thursday as moisture levels increased across the state, a day after parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, witnessed this season's lowest minimum temperatures.
The rise in temperatures was the fallout of the northeast monsoon gaining strength, with a cyclonic circulation pushing moisture into Maharashtra. "The moisture incursion has led to a temporary rise in temperatures, particularly affecting the overnight lows," said an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official.

The official said, "Moisture is being pumped into parts of the state from the Bay of Bengal via easterly winds. This is also causing haze because of lower minimum temperatures." IMD has issued a forecast of partly cloudy skies towards afternoon and evening, and haze in morning hours for Pune on Friday.
Pune (Shivajinagar) on Wednesday recorded a minimum temperature of 14.6°C — slightly below the seasonal average. Nashik's minimum temperature on the same day was 13.4°C — the lowest in the state. Lohegaon recorded a minimum temperature of 16.8°C on Wednesday. The relatively drier air and clear skies supported these cooler minimums across several districts, with multiple locations recording temperatures well below their typical range.
On Thursday, the minimum temperature climbed up to 15.2°C in Pune (Shivajinagar) and to 13.2°C Nashik, but still the lowest in the region. In Lohegaon, the day's minimum was up to 17.4°C.
"This rise aligns with a reported increase in moisture levels, indicated by higher relative humidity readings throughout the day. This added humidity and the consequent clouding retained more heat during the night, which prevented the temperatures from dropping as significantly as before," the official said.
The increase in minimums might not last long, though. Weather forecasters predict another drop in night temperatures after November 18.