Mercury dips across Maharashtra, Vidarbha and Marathwada get cold wave alert

PUNE: As January comes to an end, the nip is back in the air.
On Saturday, almost all locations in Maharashtra witnessed below normal maximum and minimum temperatures, with some stations recording minimum temperatures lower than their north Indian counterparts.
The India Meteorological department (IMD) has issued a cold wave alert for Vidarbha and Marathwada as many stations in the regions are currently witnessing minimum temperatures that have been less than normal by 4 to 6°C.
On Saturday, Nagpur’s minimum temperature dropped to 8°C, lower than north Indian stations such as Jammu, Ludhiana, Ambala, New Delhi and Patiala.
As many as 15 out of 17 major IMD stations in Maharashtra are currently reporting below normal minimum temperatures, while 10 had recorded less than average maximum temperatures on Friday. An IMD official told TOI that cold northwesterlies have been blowing over the state. “These winds are coming from parts of north India, including Himachal Pradesh, where it has been snowing. This has resulted in significant drop in minimum and maximum temperatures, especially in Vidarbha and Marathwada, where departures from normal have been high,” the official said.
From Sunday, some respite from the cold is expected, as clear skies during the day will cause a rise in the maximum temperature. “The night temperature may also surge due to a trough of low pressure over the central parts of south Bay of Bengal and adjoining equatorial Indian Ocean. Humid easterlies may start blowing over our region as a result of this, causing cloudiness during the night and consequent rise in minimums,” the official said.
As per Skymet Weather Services, the minimum temperatures in Akola settled at 10.1°C, in Ahmednagar at 8.6°C and Parbhani at 8.5°C on January 27, all four to seven degrees below the normal average.
Besides these places, Nashik and Aurangabad too recorded below normal minimums, around two to three degrees less than average. Meanwhile in Pune, minimum temperature rose from 9.9°C to 10.3°C on Saturday.