IMD issues yellow alerts for Vidarbha, Marathwada and Pune; orange alert for Gadchiroli on Wednesday

Many parts of Vidarbha and Marathwada have had a long dry spell, and water shortages have been felt. The weather is now expected to change in Maharashtra this week. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued yellow alerts for several districts from Tuesday to Friday. Thunderstorms, lightning, rain and strong winds are forecast during this period.

Gadchiroli is likely to be the worst affected, as an orange alert has been issued there for Wednesday. This means thunderstorms with rain there could be heavier than forecast for the other districts.

In Vidarbha, Gadchiroli is under a yellow alert on Tuesday. According to the weather department, there will be thunder with lightning and light to moderate rain. In some places wind speed could reach 40 to 50 km per hour.

Conditions could worsen on Wednesday, when Gadchiroli moves to an orange alert. A yellow alert will again be in place there on Thursday. Wardha, Nagpur and Gondia are also likely to see unsettled weather on Wednesday and Thursday. Parts of these districts may get thunder, lightning and rain, the forecast says.

The change comes as the long dry spell has affected parts of the region, raising concern over water availability and farming.

Rain is also likely in Marathwada. The weather department has issued a yellow alert for Nanded and Hingoli on Wednesday, with thunderstorms and rain possible in isolated places. Similar weather is likely in Jalna on Thursday, and a yellow alert has been issued there. People in the affected areas should keep watch on the changing weather, especially during thunder and strong winds.

Western Maharashtra may also see rain in the coming days. Pune, Satara and Kolhapur, along with their ghat areas, are included in the weather alerts. Thunder and rain are likely in Satara and Kolhapur, including the surrounding ghat areas, from Wednesday to Friday.

Light to moderate rain is forecast in Ratnagiri, while Nashik and its ghat areas may get rain from Thursday.

The alerts indicate that the weather across Maharashtra could be more unsettled than usual this week. People in districts under orange and yellow alerts have been advised to keep checking the latest IMD forecasts.