Unseasonal rain, coupled with hail and lightning, was witnessed in parts of western Maharashtra, Pune and Kolhapur districts, and in isolated areas in the Marathwada region on Wednesday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the high temperatures coupled with excess humidity in the past few days have led to an upper air cyclonic circulation over south Madhya Maharashtra, creating conditions for thundershowers accompanied with hail and light to moderate rain in isolated parts.
Gusty winds accompanied by rain briefly buffeted Pune city, rural parts of the district, Kolhapur city and Kolhapur’s Panhala tehsil.
On Tuesday, similar weather conditions were witnessed over Ahmednagar district, with intense bouts of unseasonal rain damaging orange fruit orchards spread over 50 hectares in the district’s Kedgaon locality.
Unseasonal rain has exacerbated farmers’ losses amid the lockdown imposed to check the spread of the novel coronavirus pandemic. Vegetables and fruits ready to be sold in market yards were left to rot in fields owing to the complete shutdown of agricultural produce market committees (APMCs) in many districts.
Dr. Anupam Kashyapi, head of the weather and air pollution monitoring unit, IMD, Pune, said soaring day time temperatures in the past few days had led to the convective bout of rain. Similar conditions are expected to continue over the next couple of days in other parts of the State, including the Konkan region.
Dr. Kashyapi said an induced cyclonic circulation over the western part of Rajasthan had led to moisture incursion over parts of western India, which then coupled with the moisture incursion over the Arabian Sea would result in unseasonal climatic conditions over the next few days. Earlier this week, Pune city had recorded daytime temperatures of over 37 degrees Celsius. In some districts in the Vidarbha region, mercury touched 40 degrees Celsius.
