PUNE, 29 January 2008 — Mumbai, Pune and Mahableshwar experienced chilly weather yesterday as the mercury dipped to 0 degree Celsius in Mahabaleshwar, 5 Celsius in Pune and 10 in Mumbai. A thin sheet of ice formed on the surface of Venna Lake in the hill station of Mahabaleshwar, while strawberry and raspberry fields looked white with frost covering them.
Yesterday morning was the coldest day in Pune. The adjoining district of Nashik was even colder with 4.4 degrees while temperatures in central Maharashtra were seven degrees below normal. Parbhani in Marathwada recorded 8 degrees while it was 10 degrees in Aurangabad.
The temperature in Mumbai yesterday was the lowest in 45 years. Sever cold wave conditions prevailed in north Madhya Maharashtra and parts of Marathwada and Vidarbha. Similar conditions would prevail in the districts of Nashik, Jalgaon, Ahmednagar, Thane, Raigad, Parbhani, Kolhapur and Sangli in the next 24 hours.
The director of Indian Meteorological Department in Pune, Medha Khole, attributed the fall in the temperature to a cold wave sweeping north India. The condition will prevail for another three days, she said.
The chilly weather also created health problems for the people. Doctors in Mumbai, Pune and Nagpur have reported rise in cases of chest infection, especially in children. Besides, bronchitis, cold and flu cases have also increased significantly in the last three days.
The emergency units of many city hospitals have reported a steep rise in cases of acute myocardial infarction (AMI) or early morning heart attacks. “This happens when the temperature dips and the blood starts to thicken, forcing the heart to pump harder and thus raising the blood pressure. This phenomenon, peculiar to winter, increases chances of blood clots and strokes,” said a cardiologist at Sion hospital. In the prevailing conditions, doctors have advised people against going for morning walks till the temperature becomes normal.
In north India, people continued to huddle from the icy winds blowing from the Himalayas as weather officials predict no relief for at least three days.
The Ladakh region of Jammu and Kashmir was freezing with the minimum temperature in the regional capital Leh recording -20.6 Celsius. The plains of north India have been in the grip of a cold wave for a week now.
Delhi recorded a low of 2.3 degrees, the second lowest of the season so far. The coldest day of the season in Delhi so far was recorded on Jan 2, when the minimum temperature was 1.9 degrees.
“The cold wave will continue for another two to three days. Respite is expected at the end of the week,” Director of India Meteorological Department S.C. Bhan said.
In Jammu and Kashmir’s summer capital Srinagar, there was light snowfall in the morning with a minimum temperature of -1.6 degrees. There was heavy snowfall in the Darjeeling hills of West Bengal.
The minimum temperature also plummeted at most places in Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh. Ludhiana at 0.2 degrees was the coldest place in the plains.
— Additional input from agencies
