The Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has warned of heatwaves in many parts of Maharashtra, including Pune. After a few days of pre-monsoon rains, Pune city will witness hot and humid conditions from Thursday, with the maximum temperature rising to 41 degrees Celsius.
Anupam Kashyap, former head of weather forecasting at IMD, said, "While the monsoon progression can be seen in the southern part of the country, Pune is likely to get hot and humid in the coming days. The temperature will increase up to 41-42 degrees Celsius. On Wednesday morning, the weather was cloudy, but from Thursday, it is going to be humid, especially during the nights."
After the pre-monsoon rains, the temperature came down to 36-38 degrees, but on Wednesday, some parts of the city crossed 40 degrees Celsius. The maximum temperature at Shivajinagar was 40.6 degrees, while Koregaon Park reported 42.3. Similarly, Rajgurunagar recorded 43.9, Talegaon 43.8, and Pashan 41.8 degrees Celsius.
The IMD has advised avoiding going out between 10am and 4pm. It is recommended not to get exposed to direct sunlight for too long to avoid prolonged heat exposure and to stay hydrated.
The IMD stated, "Conditions are favourable for the Southwest Monsoon over some parts of the Southeast Arabian Sea, some more parts of the Maldives, Comorin area, and South Bay of Bengal, and some more parts of the Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Andaman Sea during the next two days. Under its influence, isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall is expected over southern parts of India till Friday, with the possibility of extremely heavy falls over Kerala till tomorrow. Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala, Mahe, and Karnataka are likely to witness very heavy rainfall for the next two to three days. Maharashtra, on the other hand, is likely to get more hot and humid for the next two to three days."