IMD hints at the return of chill feel in mid-week

PUNE: The respite from cold could be ephemeral with the Met department hinting at slight drop in night temperature in the midweek.

An official of the India Meteorological Department (IMD told TOI that the minimum temperatures might begin to plunge once again after February 7. The night temperature has soared above the 10°C-mark in all locations in Maharashtra.

On Monday, the minimum temperature in Shivajinagar was 14.2°C — there degrees above normal. In

Lohegaon

, it was 17.8°C — a significant 4.8 degrees above normal.

Anupam Kashyapi, the head of weather at IMD, Pune, said a moderately strong western disturbance was approaching and an induced cyclonic circulation was likely to form over west Rajasthan and adjacent areas from Tuesday.

“As a result, the minimum temperature in Maharashtra will go up marginally, while it will observe almost no change in Pune. The presence of an anti-cyclone over central and south India is pushing the northerly current of wind to the Arabian Sea side. Hence, there are no northerly winds over Maharashtra as of now,” he said.

Kashyapi said this situation — of increase in minimum temperature — was likely to continue till February 7, after which there might be a slight fall in minimum temperature in Maharashtra.

Northerly winds are cold winds coming from the north and snowy regions of Jammu and Kashmir. A region under the influence of northerly winds experiences drop in the night temperature.

The city witnessed a pretty long spell of cold this winter. The lowest temperature of the season was recorded on December 29, 2018. The mercury plunged to 5.9°C that day.

Nearly 15 locations, including nine in Vidarbha, had reported cold wave to severe cold wave conditions last week. On January 30, the mercury had plunged to 4.6°C in Nagpur — a staggering 9.5 degrees below its normal minimum temperature. Pune (Shivajinagar) also saw one of its lowest winter minimum temperature of this season that day at 8.2°C — three degrees below normal.

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