Pune: The city continued to reel under intense heat on Monday, with several parts of the city and district touching the 40°C-mark, leaving residents struggling with harsh afternoons and uncomfortable evenings.
“Even evenings aren’t bringing relief anymore. The heat just stays trapped and stepping out in the afternoon feels impossible,” said Priya Kulkarni, a resident of Kothrud.
Many residents reported feeling exhausted even during short outdoor activities. “I had to step out around 2pm and even a short walk felt draining. You feel tired within minutes,” said Rahul Patil, a resident of Hinjewadi.
A relief from oppressive heat may, however, finally be on the horizon. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast thundershowers accompanied by lightning and very light rain for Pune starting May 22. “Temperatures are likely to gradually decline over the week, with daytime highs expected to settle around 36-37°C,” an IMD official said.
According to weather monitoring station data, Baramati recorded a maximum temperature of 40.4°C on Monday, followed by Pashan (40.3°C) and Ambegaon (40.2°C). Shivajinagar touched 40°C, while Haveli recorded 39.6°C. Wadgaonsheri and Dudulgaon saw temperatures of 39.4°C, with several other areas hovering close to the 40°C threshold. Elevated humidity levels through the day further intensified the discomfort.
In Shivajinagar, the maximum temperature was 3.1 degrees above normal, IMD data showed. It was much worse in Lohegaon, where the day temperature (41.8°C) was nearly 5 degrees above normal.
The intense heat extended across Maharashtra as well, with Solapur recording 43.6°C, Malegaon 43°C and Ahilyanagar 41.9°C. Vidarbha remained among the hottest regions, with Wardha hitting the highest maximum temperature in the state at 46.5°C.
Independent weather expert Abhijit Modak attributed the recent heat to dry northerly winds affecting western Maharashtra earlier in the week, but noted that conditions are expected to ease gradually. “Hit-and-miss thundershower activity is likely for Pune this week. Ghat sections could continue witnessing popup thunderstorm activity over the next 24 hours due to a lower-level wind discontinuity setup,” Modak said.
Later in the week, strengthening westerly winds could bring cloud cover during night and morning hours over the Konkan region, along with isolated drizzles. “Thunderstorm activity may also shift toward interior parts of Maharashtra as conditions become more favourable,” he added.
