The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted that Pune will experience a hotter-than-usual March, with both maximum and minimum temperatures expected to be higher than the usual. The IMD added that there is a likelihood of more frequent heatwaves, and prolonged exposure to the sun during such conditions can prove fatal for both humans and livestock.
The March temperatures have historically touched 40 degrees Celsius in Pune. A heatwave would be a condition when temperatures cross or touch this threshold.
Meanwhile, Pune recorded its hottest January in a decade this year, with an average maximum temperature of 31.56 degrees Celsius, according to data shared by Vineet Kumar, a Research Scientist at the Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM) in Pune, on X (formerly Twitter). Kumar added that the average minimum temperature was 13.89 degrees Celsius in January, which is the second highest in a decade after 2021.
February was also hot, with some areas such as Lonavala and Shirur recording temperatures above 38 degrees Celsius.
Meanwhile, not just Pune, but the whole country is likely to experience a warmer than usual March, the weather office said, signalling the start of summer.
Addressing a virtual press conference, D Sivandanda Pai, a senior weather scientist at the IMD, said monthly maximum temperatures for March are likely to be above normal over most parts of the country, except some southernmost parts of Peninsular India.
The prediction for a warmer March comes as the country experienced the warmest February since 1901 with a mean temperature of 22.04 degrees Celsius, which was 1.34 degrees above the normal of 20.70 degrees.
