Thunderstorms likely across state from tomorrow, relief from heat in sight

Pune: A fresh spell of thundershowers is likely across Maharashtra from Sunday, giving some respite from the scorcher.India Meteorological Department (IMD) scientist S D Sanap said high temperatures would persist till Saturday. Conditions were expected to change from Sunday because of a combination of weakening anti-cyclonic circulation, moisture incursion from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal, and an upper-level trough linked to a western disturbance, he said."Most parts of Maharashtra are expected to receive thunderstorms from April 19 to 22. Pune too has chances, especially around April 19-20," Sanap said. The district-wise forecast shows a clear transition from heatwave conditions to thunderstorm activity across regions. In Madhya Maharashtra, districts such as Pune, Ahilyanagar and Nashik will remain dry till Saturday, followed by light to moderate rain and thunderstorms from Sunday.Pune district is expected to get light to moderate rain on Sunday, intensifying into thunderstorms with lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) on April 20 and 21. Nashik ghats may see stronger gusts of up to 40-50 kmph with moderate rainfall on Sunday.In south Maharashtra, including Satara, Sangli and Solapur, heatwave conditions were likely till Friday. Thunderstorms with moderate rainfall and gusty winds (30-50 kmph) are expected between Sunday and April 21. In Marathwada, districts such as Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Parbhani, Beed, Nanded and Latur are likely to experience heatwave conditions till Saturday, followed by light rain and thunderstorms from Sunday. Some districts may experience gusty winds of 30-40kmph. The IMD warning maps indicated widespread yellow alerts across much of Maharashtra from Sunday to April 21, covering large parts of Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Vidarbha. A yellow alert, as per the IMD, indicates weather conditions that could cause minor disruptions and require people to stay updated and take precautions.Officials said the upcoming spell might not exactly mirror the previous one in intensity, which would vary from one location to another, but thunderstorms would be fairly widespread, bringing much-needed relief from the prolonged heat.