Pune: After several weeks of largely dry weather, rainfall activity is set to pick up across parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, just as the city gears up for Ganeshotsav.India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light to moderate rain in Pune over the next three days, with similar conditions likely on Ganesh festival sthapana day on Monday.According to IMD’s Saturday forecast, Pune is likely to see partly cloudy conditions that become generally cloudy towards the afternoon or evening, with light to moderate rain on Sunday and Monday. Temperatures are expected to remain around 29°C during the day and 22°C at night.SD Sanap, scientist at IMD, Pune, said the increase in rainfall was linked to a weather system over south Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas, which is moving northwestwards. “That system is there now at south Chhattisgarh and adjoining areas and is moving north-westward. Because of that, Vidarbha, Marathwada and Madhya Maharashtra are expected to be affected,” he said.The system is expected to influence weather over the region for three days — Saturday, Sunday and Monday — resulting in a noticeable increase in rainfall activity compared with the recent dry spell. “In some places on Monday, there will be light to moderate rain. Tuesday onwards, rainfall activity will reduce,” Sanap said.The scientist, however, said the rainfall expected on the festival’s sthapana day was unlikely to pose a major disruption, as the forecast did not indicate heavy rain over Pune. He said, “Showers can nevertheless cause some inconvenience to people stepping out to purchase and bring home idols, particularly if the rain persists.”Sanap said the weather system, moving in from the east and originating from the Bay of Bengal region, was also not expected to produce the kind of intense rainfall typically seen over the Western Ghats during July and Aug. “The rainfall over the ghats is not expected to be of the intensity we generally see during July and Aug. In Pune city too, the rainfall is likely to remain in the light to moderate category,” he said.The three-day spell comes after a prolonged period of subdued rainfall, marking a temporary increase in rain activity across the region as Ganeshotsav approaches. While showers could cause some inconvenience on Monday, particularly for those transporting idols, the current forecast does not suggest a major rain-related disruption in Pune, he added.
