Minimum temperature in the areas near Western Ghats around Pune have witnessed a dip below 10 degrees Celsius for the first time this season, but this is not the case in central India yet.

For the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the winter starts from December but in popular parlance, in most years, winters start post-Diwali. But the temperatures across central India indicate it is not yet cold enough.

For the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday, minimum temperatures below 10 degrees Celsius were recorded at three places in Pune district: Shirur and Haveli at 9.7 degrees Celsius each and the NDA campus on the Pune outskirts witnessed 9.9 degrees Celsius. Pashan in Pune saw 10.2 degrees Celsius but all other centres in Pune district recorded minimum temperatures of more than 12 degrees Celsius for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday.

Data from IMD showed that minimum temperatures at various stations across Marathwada, Vidarbha, east Madhya Pradesh, west Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh remained above 10 degrees Celsius.

Vidarbha recorded minimum temperatures of 12 degrees Celsius and above, Marathwada 13 degrees Celsius and above, and Chhattisgarh had 12 degrees Celsius and above. Umaria and Mandla in east Madhya Pradesh recorded minimum temperature of 10 and 11 degrees Celsius respectively, and remaining stations showed more than 11 degrees Celsius.

Pachmarhi (9.2 degrees C) and Raisen (9.5 degrees Celsius) in west Madhya Pradesh were below the 10 degrees mark while other centres recorded 12 degrees Celsius or above.

Even when the mercury has not dipped below 10 degrees Celsius across major stations, the departures for minimum temperatures in central India are negative for 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Thursday and even for the 24 hours ending at 8.30 a.m. on Friday, the departures are likely to be negative.

“This means that the expected normal temperature should be higher than that,” said IMD’s senior scientist from Climate Research and Services, Pune, K.S. Hosalikar.

For example, the expected normal temperature (based on long period average) is 12 degrees Celsius but the actual was just 10 degrees Celsius, then the departure is minus 2 degrees. “This indicates that there is a nip in the air in Central India, lowering the temperatures below normal,” he said.

From Friday onwards, however, the temperatures are set to rise. “Currently the winds are easterly to north-easterly over central India but in two-three days, due to the depression over Bay of Bengal marching towards land, the wind direction over central India is likely to change to south-easterly. There will be moisture incursion, the sky will be cloudy,” Hosalikar said.

With cloudy skies and some places are likely to get rain, the temperatures are going to rise again. “Just this short spell of cold for these two days and then, there will be a gradual rise in minimum temperatures north central Maharashtra, north Marathwada, north-west Vidarbha because of a change in wind direction,” the IMD scientist said.