Pune: Day temperatures rose further across the city on Friday, with both Shivajinagar and Lohegaon recording the highest maximum temperatures of the season so far, even as parts of Vidarbha saw the mercury cross the 40°C mark. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) recorded a maximum temperature of 36.8°C in Shivajinagar, around 2.6° above normal, while Lohegaon touched 37.7°C, around 3.5° above normal. The readings were slightly higher than those recorded a day earlier, indicating a continuing warming trend across the city. Meteorologists said day temperatures in Pune are expected to remain elevated in the coming days. An IMD forecast issued on Friday indicated that maximum temperatures in the city are likely to range between 36°C and 39°C over the next few days under mainly clear-sky conditions. Across the rest of Maharashtra, several stations reported high temperatures on Friday, with Amravati recording 40.8°C, the highest in the state, followed by Akola at 40.7°C. Other stations in Vidarbha also recorded high readings, including Chandrapur at 39.2°C and Nagpur at 38.7°C. In Madhya Maharashtra, temperatures remained high as well. Solapur recorded 39.5°C, while Jalgaon touched 38.7°C and Malegaon 37.4°C. Sangli and Nashik recorded maximum temperatures of 37.4°C and 36.6°C, respectively, reflecting widespread warm conditions across the interior districts. According to the IMD, maximum temperatures over interior parts of Maharashtra are likely to rise gradually by 2–3° over the next five to six days, while north Konkan may see a temporary fall of 2–4° over the next two days before temperatures rise again by 2–3° thereafter. Minimum temperatures are expected to show no major change over Konkan, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada during the next two days, followed by a gradual rise over southern parts of the state. Over Vidarbha, both maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to see no significant change over the next seven days, IMD officials said.
