After a hot and dry February, Pune is set to experience a hotter-than-usual March, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) including Maharashtra among the states where the likelihood of heatwaves is greater than usual for the month.
In its seasonal forecast issued at the start of the month, the IMD stated that March is going to be hotter than usual for most parts of the country. Both maximum and minimum temperatures would be higher than usual for Pune and most other parts of Maharashtra. Both are in the region earmarked by the IMD for having heatwave-like conditions for most of March, with the number of such days expected to be higher than normal.
For Pune, where March temperatures have historically touched 40 degrees Celsius, a heatwave would be a condition when temperatures cross or touch this threshold. High humidity, high wind speed, and the duration of heatwaves are other supportive conditions that can aggravate heatwaves.
Long exposure to the sun during heatwave conditions can prove fatal for both humans and livestock.
January for Pune was extremely hot, with temperatures crossing 34-35 degrees Celsius. February was also hot, with some areas such as Lonavala and Shirur recording temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius.
The automatic weather station in Shirur recorded a high of 30 degrees Celsius on Saturday.