April heat at new highs in Pune: Lohegaon logs record 25 days at or above 40°C, Shivajinagar 14

Time of India

02-05-2025

Pune: Unprecedented heat left the city baked this April when Lohegaon logged a record 25 days at or above 40°C — highest for the month in a decade. The location also experienced an April high of 43.6°C, smashing a 45-year-old record of day temperature for the month.
Shivajinagar also faced extreme heat in April, with 14 days either touching or crossing the 40°C-mark — the most in April over the past 12 years. The previous high was in 2019, when Shivajinagar recorded 12 days at or above 40°C in April.
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Historical data from Lohegaon showed a concerning trend over the past decade in April. The number of days when the location recorded 40°C or above temperatures in April was 11 in 2016, fourteen in 2017, ten in 2018, seventeen in 2019, three in 2020, one in 2021, nine in 2022, one in 2023 and twelve in 2024. Lohegaon witnessed a record-shattering 25 days of such heat in April 2025.
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The highest April temperatures recorded at Lohegaon over recent years also showed that 2025 has been the hottest so far: 41°C (2016), 42.8°C (2017), 41.6°C (2018), 43°C (2019), 40.3°C (2020), 40°C (2021), 41.7°C (2022), 40.7°C (2023), 42.5°C (2024); and now the all-time record of 43.6°C (2025).
For Shivajinagar, the number of days at or crossing the 40°C-threshold in April has fluctuated over the past decade: 3 days in 2013, four in 2014, one in 2015, eleven in 2016, six in 2017, two in 2018, twelve in 2019, one in 2020, zero in 2021, seven in 2022, one in 2023, seven in 2024, and now 2025 with a record 14 days.
On the causes behind such extreme temperatures, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) official said: "There are two main factors at play. First, we've had an unusually dry March and April with only one day of very light rainfall and thunderstorm activity. In years with fewer 40°C-plus days, we typically see more pre-monsoon thundershowers over the Pune area. Clouds scatter sunrays and inhibit warming, but with clear skies throughout most of this month, we're seeing more intense heating."
He added: "The second factor is the persistent anti-cyclonic circulation over Madhya Maharashtra. This creates a descending motion in the atmosphere that inhibits vertical movement of air. Without this vertical motion, there's no significant cloud formation or condensation, which would typically provide some relief from the heat."
The IMD official said Shivajinagar observatory was surrounded by thick vegetation, creating a good cluster of green cover. He said, "In contrast, the Lohegaon airfield is completely devoid of vegetation, with the weather sensors placed at the runway end, which has no shade from trees or buildings. That's why there is typically a 2–3°C difference between Lohegaon and Shivajinagar temperatures."
The official said: "Pashan reports temperatures similar to Shivajinagar. Secondly, the type of instruments matters as well. Shivajinagar uses a conventional observatory set-up. This means that the reliance is on thermometers. Lohegaon has sensor-based temperature recording instruments. This also leads to variation, which is quite natural."
He added: "Even in Delhi, for example, where there are four or five observatories, you'll see temperature differences because of local conditions — vegetation, nature of the terrain, and the material present. Lohegaon's tarmac is all concrete, which absorbs and radiates more heat. Vegetated areas absorb less heat and re-radiate less back into the surroundings."
An expert from blog Vagaries of Weather said even the nights in Pune were unforgiving in April 2025. "The average minimum temperature in Shivajinagar this April was 21.5°C, which is the second highest in the last 12 years. The highest average minimum temperature in April in the last 12 years was recorded at 21.6°C in 2022. This effectively means that Pune's nights this April were among the warmest for the month," the expert said.
After April, May too has started in Pune with breaking heat records. "Shivajinagar recorded 41.2° C on May 1, which was the highest May day temperature in the locality after 2019 and also second highest May day temperature in the last decade," he said.