NASHIK: After hovering around 12 degrees Celsius and 20 degrees, the mercury in Nashik plummeted to 11 degrees Celsius on Thursday; Niphad in the district recording a minimum temperature of 8.8 degrees Celsius. Jalgaon recorded a minimum temperature of 10.8 degrees Celsius yesterday, the lowest in the state. Dry weather conditions likely to prevail in Madhya Maharashtra in the next four days, forecast IMD, Pune. After the rise in temperature in the first fortnight of January in the state, the lowest minimum temperature was recorded in Nashik district in the last week at 11.4 degrees Celsius.
The mercury at Niphad dropped to 8.8 degrees. In the last two weeks of December and the first two weeks of January, there was a significant rise in minimum temperature in most parts of the state leading to cloudy weather and unseasonal rains with thunderstorms. Grape growers incurred the highest loss in Nashik district due to fluctuating climatic conditions. The cold in the state disappeared eventually, and the minimum temperature had gone up to 15 to 20 degrees.
In such a changing environment, on January 20, the Nashik district again recorded the lowest minimum temperature in the state at 11.4 degrees, followed by Jalgaon at 12.5 degrees Celsius, Pune at 12.5 degrees Celsius, and Malegaon at 13.5 degrees Celsius. Especially in Madhya Maharashtra, the cold seems to have arrived again.
It has increased in all the five districts of North Maharashtra, including Nashik. The cyclonic winds formed over Madhya Maharashtra and adjoining areas are now on Marathwada, the meteorological sources said. Due to this climate change, the average minimum temperature in isolated areas of Madhya Maharashtra has increased slightly.
On Thursday, the minimum temperature recorded at Malegaon was 12.6 degrees Celsius, Buldhana 14 degrees, Aurangabad 15.1, Mahabaleshwar 15.1, Satara 14.2, Akola 17.2, Parbhani 18.1, Amravati 16.5, Nagpur 15.7, Sangli 17.3 and Kolhapur 18.3 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature in Nashik district dropped to 11 degrees Celsius yesterday after it rose on January 20. This increased cold is likely to affect crops, according to agricultural experts.
