Pune residents woke up to an unusually sharp chill on Sunday morning as the city experienced a dramatic plunge in overnight temperatures, making it colder than the popular hill station of Mahabaleshwar.
Sharp Temperature Drop Recorded
The India Meteorological Department's observatories in Pashan and Shivajinagar recorded minimum temperatures of 9.4°C and 9.8°C respectively, marking a significant drop of 4-5 degrees Celsius within just 24 hours. This sudden change was unmistakable for residents who encountered crisp, biting air across the city.
Just a day earlier, Pashan had logged a minimum of 13.7°C while Shivajinagar recorded 14.4°C, highlighting the rapid nature of this temperature descent. The rural areas felt even colder, with Haveli recording a chilling 7.8°C, establishing itself as one of the coldest pockets in the region.
Statewide Cold Conditions
The cold wave extended across several parts of Maharashtra, with Ahilyanagar dipping to 9.5°C, Nashik to 9.9°C, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar to 10.2°C, and Malegaon to 13.2°C. Both Vidarbha and Marathwada regions experienced minimum temperatures ranging between 10°C and 13°C, contributing to a widespread wintry atmosphere throughout the state.
Remarkably, Pune was colder than Mahabaleshwar, which recorded a minimum temperature of 11.4°C on the same day, reversing the typical temperature relationship between the plain and the hill station.
Weather Systems and Forecast
According to senior IMD officials, multiple weather systems are currently active across the country, simultaneously triggering rainfall in southern India while driving cold wave conditions in several other regions.
One major system influencing this pattern is cyclonic storm Ditwah, positioned near the Tamil Nadu coast. Additionally, a western disturbance has been observed as an upper-air cyclonic circulation over North Haryana and surrounding areas in the lower tropospheric levels.
The IMD forecasts that cold wave conditions are very likely to prevail in isolated pockets of Madhya Maharashtra and Punjab from December 1 to 3, in Marathwada on December 2 and 3, and in East Rajasthan from December 4 to 7.
A senior IMD official stated, "A fall in minimum temperatures by 2-3°C is likely over the northern parts of Maharashtra for the next two days, after which no major change is expected."
Under the combined influence of these weather systems, isolated to scattered rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning is predicted over Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Yanam, and Rayalaseema between December 1 and 4, and over Kerala and Mahe between December 2 and 4.
