An intense and early cold wave has gripped large parts of India, turning the first half of November significantly colder than usual. From the northern plains to central India and deep into Maharashtra, minimum temperatures have consistently dipped below normal, a pattern the India Meteorological Department describes as climatologically unusual for this time of year.
Pune Breaks Nine-Year Cold Record
The city of Pune is feeling the brunt of this unusual weather phenomenon. On Tuesday, the city recorded its coldest November morning in nine years when considering the first 18 days of the month. The mercury plunged to a chilling 9.4 degrees Celsius in Shivajinagar and 9 degrees Celsius in Pashan.
The cold was even more severe in Pune district's rural and open areas. Haveli taluka registered the region's coldest reading this season at a biting 6.9 degrees Celsius. Other areas also experienced single-digit temperatures, with Baramati recording 8.9°C, Malin at 9.2°C, and both Daund and Talegaon at 9.9°C during the night of November 17-18.
Widespread Cold Wave Conditions Across India
This cold spell is not confined to Maharashtra alone. The India Meteorological Department reported that cold to severe cold wave conditions affected parts of Madhya Maharashtra and west Madhya Pradesh on Tuesday. The IMD forecasts likely cold wave conditions in isolated pockets of West Madhya Pradesh on Wednesday and Friday.
Eastern Madhya Pradesh will also experience cold wave conditions until Friday, while Vidarbha and Marathwada in Maharashtra, along with Telangana and Chhattisgarh, faced cold wave conditions on Tuesday. Parts of Madhya Maharashtra may experience another round of cold wave conditions on Wednesday.
Scientific Explanation for the Unusual Chill
IMD scientist Naresh Kumar explained that persistent northwesterly and northerly winds are responsible for the below-normal minimum temperatures across northwest, central, east, and north peninsular India. He noted that while climatologically unusual for early November, this pattern still falls under natural year-to-year variation.
Skymet Weather president GP Sharma added that several pockets across the country have slipped into sharp winter-like conditions far ahead of schedule. He highlighted that Madhya Maharashtra and even Mumbai are seeing single-digit lows with temperatures 5-8 degrees below normal. Srinagar, Gulmarg, and Pahalgam are facing a sharper-than-usual November chill, while Punjab, Haryana, and east Rajasthan are also reporting unusually low minimum temperatures.
Weather experts from the blog Vagaries of Weather provided further insight, linking the unusual chill to a strong upper-air interaction early in the month. A western disturbance in the first week of November was strengthened by a polar jet stream trough superimposing onto the subtropical westerly jet, allowing a strong push of cold air to spill into north and central India.
The expert revealed that nearly 90% of the country is currently experiencing below-normal minimum temperatures, with almost half the country recording temperatures 4-6 degrees below normal in recent days. IMD's all-India temperature anomaly maps for the first 18 days of November confirm this pattern, showing large swathes of the country registering minimums 2-3 degrees below normal.
