Mumbai Pune experience intense winter chill after 5 years
Reportedly Maharashtra is experiencing winter chill after five years, with a significant increase in cold wave days. On 9 December experienced its chilliest morning on December with temperatures dipping to single digits across several weather stations. This prolonged cold spell is attributed to strong northerly winds and clear skies, allowing for rapid cooling.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) reports a significant rise in ‘cold wave’ and ‘severe cold wave’ days since 2020. The state is witnessing unusually low temperatures.
On Tuesday, six weather stations across Pune recorded single-digit temperatures, signalling widespread cooling across the district. Shivajinagar, the IMD’s representative station for Pune, recorded a minimum temperature of 8.9°C, while Pashan experienced the coldest morning at 8.4°C. Other areas, including Malin, Daund, and Talegaon, registered 9°C, and Baramati was slightly warmer at 9.2°C.
Even the temperature in the hill station in Panchgani is down. Its been absolutely chill since Monday
Residents braved the biting chill as winter set in with full intensity, making this one of the coldest starts to December in the past half-decade. Weather experts say that such sustained cold conditions are unusual and reflect a significant return of winter intensity across the state.
Notwithstanding the cold, Pune recorded a minor improvement in air quality.The city’s overall Air Quality Index (AQI) improved to 160, which falls in the ‘moderate’ category, up from 200 (‘poor’) on 8 December. Out of six operational monitoring stations, five reported AQI levels ranging between 109 and 192, while Shivajinagar continued to remain in the ‘poor’ range at 245, making it the most polluted area in the city.
News Edit KV Raman
