Panaji: Goa recorded its warmest night so far in the summer on the intervening night of Sunday and Monday, with the mercury settling at 29°C.According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Monday marked the highest minimum temperature recorded so far this season in the state. Last month, the warmest night was registered on April 29, when the minimum temperature touched 28.6°C. Before that, Goa recorded 28.4°C on April 27.IMD director Nahush Kulkarni said that it ranked as the eighth-highest minimum temperature recorded in the month of May over the past 50 years, with the highest minimum temperature in this period being 29.8°C on May 14, 2023.Uncomfortable weather conditions also persisted during the day. On Monday, the maximum temperature recorded in Panaji was 35.7°C, yet IMD’s “feels like” temperature, which factors in humidity along with actual air temperature, touched 48.1°C on Sunday. Until a day ago, the highest “feels like” temperature displayed on the IMD India portal was 47.3°C.Explaining the prevailing weather conditions, Kulkarni said the current heat was linked to the typical seasonal warming experienced during the second week of May.“Such fluctuations are part of normal seasonal variability rather than an extreme anomaly,” he added.He further said that minimum temperatures are expected to remain high over the coming days, likely staying between 28 and 29°C.The oppressive heat is also being attributed to the near absence of pre-monsoon showers across the state this summer season. IMD observations show only “scattered rainfall occurred at a few places over the state” on Monday. The rainfall deficit is currently at 46%.No large change is expected in the weather conditions over the course of the week as the IMD has forecast dry weather and “mainly sunny weather conditions” over Goa till May 17.
