Hot, humid weather to persist in Maharashtra; thundershowers likely in Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara, Beed, Jalna

With the monsoon having withdrawn from Maharashtra, the state is sweltering in intense October heat and oppressive humidity. Sunshine and humidity will continue today, but the weather department has forecast rain with lightning in a few select districts of Konkan, Central Maharashtra and Marathwada. A warning of hot and humid weather has also been issued for parts of Konkan.

For today, October 14, the state will see harsh sunshine and high humidity through the day. Heat is likely to rise and the weather to remain very humid in the Konkan districts of Thane, Mumbai and Raigad, and a yellow alert has been issued. Ratnagiri, Pune, Satara, Beed and Jalna districts may get rain with lightning at some places. The rest of Maharashtra is expected to stay mostly dry.

The state's maximum temperature has risen considerably, and at most places the mercury has stayed above 37 degrees Celsius. The sun begins to bite from morning, and those stepping out in the afternoon are drenched in sweat.

In the 24 hours ending Tuesday morning, Ratnagiri recorded 39.2 degrees Celsius, the highest in the state. The mercury went above 38 degrees in Malegaon and Santacruz, while Jalgaon, Solapur, Akola, Yavatmal, Amravati and Washim recorded over 37 degrees. The lowest temperature in the state, 16.2 degrees Celsius, was recorded at the wheat research centre in Niphad.

The withdrawal of the monsoon is now in its final phase. On Monday it withdrew completely from all of Sikkim, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh, and from parts of Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Andhra Pradesh, Odisha, Telangana and Karnataka. Conditions are very likely to become favourable over the next two to three days for the monsoon to withdraw from the entire country and for the north-east monsoon winds to become active in South India.