Maharashtra cold wave alert: IMD warns of intensifying chill in Mumbai, Pune, Nashik districts

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An intense cold wave, having swept across the northern plains, has extended its icy grip deep into Maharashtra, bringing unprecedented winter conditions to the state and transforming the usual mild December climate into one reminiscent of hill stations.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued a yellow cold alert for over a dozen districts, warning residents of intensifying conditions over the next 48 hours.

Mumbai, the bustling metropolis known for its humid tropical climate, awoke to a pronounced chill on Thursday. The IMD’s Santacruz observatory, representative of the city’s suburbs, recorded a minimum temperature of 15.6 degrees Celsius. This reading was a significant 3.2 degrees below the seasonal normal and marked a further drop from Wednesday's 16.7 degrees Celsius. The Colaba observatory in south Mumbai registered 20.9 degrees Celsius, which was 0.8 degrees below normal.

While the IMD’s five-day forecast for the city suggests a slight rise — to around 16 degrees Celsius on Saturday and up to 18 degrees Celsius by Tuesday — the current spell has left residents stunned.

The uncharacteristic nip in the air has led many Mumbaikars to jest that their city has temporarily morphed into a hill station, a sentiment echoed as the popular retreat of Matheran reported a temperature of only 17 degrees Celsius.

The dramatic cooling is not confined to the state capital. According to meteorological reports, a striking 17 cities across Maharashtra recorded temperatures lower than the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, which stood at 11.1 degrees Celsius.

The town of Jeur in Solapur district plummeted to 5.5 degrees Celsius, while Ahilyanagar shivered at 6.6 degrees Celsius. Other major cities like Nashik (8.2 degrees Celsius), Nanded (8.8 degrees Celsius) and Wardha (9.9 degrees Celsius) also experienced severe cold. Even traditionally warmer regions such as Sangli, Solapur and Kolhapur witnessed significant dips.

The IMD has responded by issuing a yellow cold alert for multiple districts, including Dhule, Nandurbar, Nashik, Jalgaon, Pune, Solapur, Satara, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Beed, Nanded and Latur.

The forecaster noted that isolated pockets of Jalgaon, Nashik and Ahilyanagar are under a specific cold-wave alert. The unseasonal chill has even touched the Konkan coast, with cooler conditions prevailing except during brief afternoon spells.

The widespread and intense nature of the cold wave, pushing northern plains temperatures to near 4 degrees Celsius and sending icy winds into central India, has left citizens across Maharashtra drawing comparisons to winters in Himachal Pradesh.

With weekend holidays approaching, the phenomenon is anticipated to provide a unexpected boost to winter travel within the state as people seek to experience the rare, sharp winter weather.