Thane swelters at 37 degrees by day, nights stay at 29-31; thunderstorms likely in Vidarbha on Oct 6

'October heat' is intensifying in Thane city and across the district, putting the city's urban planning and shrinking green cover under question. Daytime temperatures are touching 37 degrees Celsius. Concrete and asphalt roads are denying people relief even at night.

Heat keeps radiating from concrete after sunset, so even at midnight the mercury stays at 29 to 31 degrees Celsius. The 'urban heat island' effect has taken away both daytime comfort and night-time sleep from Thane's residents.

Temperatures have risen sharply across the Konkan region, including Mumbai, over the past two days. In Thane district the mercury has held between 35 and 37 degrees for these two days. A 'yellow alert' for hot and humid weather has been issued for the entire North Konkan.

The weather department expects the maximum temperature to remain between 35 and 37 degrees during this period. On Saturday the monsoon withdrew from Mumbai, Palghar, Thane district and most areas.

Open land has its own environmental importance. Natural soil handles the sun's heat differently from concrete and helps rainwater soak into the ground. But if open spaces are covered entirely with concrete, the ground's capacity to absorb water falls. This hurts groundwater recharge, local humidity and the city's overall environmental balance. It would therefore not be right to treat 'October heat' as merely a few days of higher temperatures.

On Vidarbha, according to the India Meteorological Department's (IMD) regional centre in Nagpur, there is no warning for the region on October 5. Thunderstorms, lightning and strong winds are forecast for October 6. No warning has been issued for now for October 7 to 11. People are advised not to linger unnecessarily in open spaces and to stay in a safe place during thunderstorms.

According to the IMD's weather observations for October 4, daytime temperatures were above normal in many parts of Vidarbha. The maximum temperature was 38 degrees Celsius in Amravati, 37.1 degrees in Akola and 36 degrees in Wardha. Nagpur district recorded a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius. No rain was recorded in these cities that day. The department says temperatures and local thunderstorm activity may vary in October amid post-monsoon conditions.

For the rest of Maharashtra, the IMD's sub-division-wise forecast of October 5 shows no warning for Konkan-Goa, Central Maharashtra and Marathwada from October 5 to 11. This means there is no large-scale heavy rain alert for these areas for now.