Pune: Moderate to heavy showers drenched parts of Pune, Pimpri Chinchwad and the district on Tuesday evening, ending weeks of largely dry weather. Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds accompanied the rain in some areas, intensifying in the evening and causing waterlogging in several Pimpri Chinchwad localities. IMD has forecast similar weather for Wednesday.According to India Meteorological Department (IMD) observations, Chinchwad recorded the highest rainfall, with its cumulative rainfall rising from 57mm at 8.30am to 104.5mm by 8.30pm on Tuesday. Among other locations, Magarpatta recorded 23.5mm rainfall till 8.30pm, followed by NDA (19mm), Koregaon Park (17mm), Lohegaon (13mm) and Shivajinagar (7.3mm). Lavale recorded no rainfall during the period, while data from Pashan was awaited till going to press.Rain had already been reported across several parts of Pune district during the 24-hour period ending 8.30am on Tuesday. Purandar received 42.5mm rainfall, followed by Talegaon (34.5mm), Dhamdhere (33mm), Shirur (26.5mm), Indapur (26mm), Kurvande (18.5mm), Daund (6mm), Pashan (6mm) and Shivajinagar (5.7mm). Though reflected in the 24-hour rainfall chart, most of this precipitation occurred overnight between Monday and Tuesday.IMD had forecast thunderstorm activity for Tuesday, and similar conditions are expected to continue on Wednesday. The weather office has predicted partly cloudy skies becoming generally cloudy towards the afternoon or evening, with thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and light to moderate rain very likely. Day temperatures are expected to remain around 30°C.An IMD official attributed the weather to moisture incursion over the region combined with local heating. “The heating warms the lower atmosphere, while the availability of moisture provides the water vapour needed for cloud development. This combination can trigger strong upward movement of air and rapid development of cumulonimbus clouds, resulting in thunderstorms, lightning and short-duration spells of moderate rain,” the official said.IMD has also warned that isolated parts of Maharashtra could continue to witness such convective activity till Sept 23-24, with gusty winds reaching 40-50kmph.Heavy rain at several locations in Pimpri Chinchwad disrupted traffic, inconveniencing commuters. Residents reported major water accumulation in Vidyanagar. “There was heavy waterlogging around Vidyanagar and it appeared that the municipal drainage system was not functional at all,” resident Atul Ovhal said.A similar situation unfolded near Akurdi railway station, where waterlogged roads slowed vehicular movement and caused traffic snarls. “Water was flowing all over the roads. Though the rain brought relief after a long break, it also caused major inconvenience to many commuters,” Zohed Shaikh, who was caught in the congestion, said.Vyanktesh Durvas, deputy municipal commissioner and head of Pimpri Chinchwad Municipal Corporation’s fire brigade department, said two major waterlogging incidents were reported in the city. “In Nigdi, water accumulated at Kadam Hospital and had to be pumped out. In another incident in Akurdi, water entered a company premises, following which around 14-15 people were evacuated. The accumulated water was subsequently pumped out,” Durvas said.
