Maharashtra Heatwave Alert: IMD Issues Yellow Warning for 10 Districts Including Thane and Palghar for Today; Check Details
The IMD has issued a heatwave yellow alert for 10 Maharashtra districts, including Thane, Nashik, and Akola. Temperatures reached 40.9 degrees Celsius in Akola on Sunday, while Pune recorded highs nearly 4 degrees Celsius above normal. Experts anticipate the heat will persist until March 12, when increased wind interaction may bring light, isolated rainfall to the region.
Mumbai, March 9: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow alerts for several districts in Maharashtra as a significant heatwave sweeps across the state. On Monday, March 9, the department warned of severe heat in isolated pockets of the Mumbai Metropolitan Region (MMR) and North Maharashtra, with temperatures in some regions already crossing the 40 degrees Celsius mark.
Districts Under Heatwave and Humidity Alerts
For Monday, March 9, a yellow alert remains in effect for 10 districts, including Palghar, Thane, Nashik, Jalgaon, Dhule, Nandurbar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalna, Akola, and Amravati. Coastal areas, particularly Mumbai and Thane, are also experiencing "hot and humid" warnings, where high humidity levels are significantly increasing the "real-feel" temperature. ICC T20 World Cup 2026 Victory Celebration Turns Scary: Car Runs Over Lit Firecrackers in Thane, Flames Seen Under Vehicle (Watch Videos).
On Tuesday, March 10, the heatwave is expected to shift focus toward central and eastern Maharashtra. Districts under warning include Beed, Jalna, Ahilyanagar, Chhatrapati Sambhajinagar, Jalgaon, Parbhani, Akola, Amravati, and Wardha. Experts anticipate the heat intensity will begin to subside after March 12, though alerts will likely persist for Akola and Amravati.
Temperature Spikes in Pune and Vidarbha
While Pune has not been placed under a formal heatwave alert, the city has recorded temperatures well above the seasonal average. On Sunday, the Shivajinagar observatory recorded 37.1 degrees Celsius (2.5 degrees Celsius above normal), while Lohegaon touched 38.9 degrees Celsius (4.3 degrees Celsius above normal). The Vidarbha region continues to be the hottest in the state.
Akola recorded the state's highest temperature on Sunday at 40.9 degrees Celsius. In contrast, Nashik reported the lowest minimum temperature at 15.8 degrees Celsius, highlighting a sharp diurnal temperature variation. Meteorologists attribute the current spike to an anticyclone over south Gujarat and a wind discontinuity stretching from the Gulf of Mannar to Marathwada. These patterns are suppressing cloud formation and trapping heat near the surface. Weather Forecast Today, March 9: Check Weather Updates, Rain Predictions for Mumbai, Delhi, Chennai, Bengaluru, Hyderabad, Kolkata and Shimla.
IMD said that Pune is unlikely to witness heatwave conditions in the coming days. "The city is likely to experience clear skies for the next 24 hours, and from March 10 onwards, partly cloudy conditions may develop during the afternoon or evening hours," said SD Sanap, senior meteorologist at the IMD Pune centre.
Potential Relief After March 12
Relief may be on the horizon later this week. According to Anupam Kashyapi, former head of weather forecasting at IMD Pune, increased wind interaction from March 12 could lead to light, isolated rainfall in parts of Maharashtra. This transition is expected to bring a marginal dip in daytime temperatures across the state by the weekend.
(The above story first appeared on LatestLY on Mar 09, 2026 03:16 PM IST. For more news and updates on politics, world, sports, entertainment and lifestyle, log on to our website latestly.com).