‘Never Seen Before’ Thunderstorm Lashes Pune, Leaves Residents Stunned As Heavy Rain And Wind Sweep Across City

To what Punekars described as a “never-seen-before” weather event, a powerful thunderstorm hit Pune this afternoon and evening, bringing heavy rainfall, high-speed wind gusts, and widespread disruption across the city.

The storm, which began around 4 PM, affected multiple areas, including Shivajinagar, Peth, Hadapsar, Kharadi, Pune Station, Wagholi, Amanora, Fursungi, Koregaon Park, and Magarpatta, leaving residents shocked and scrambling for cover as the city witnessed an intense spell of weather not seen in recent years.

The rain also extended to Chakan, Talegaon, Moshi, Alandi, and Chinchwad, where reports mention stalled vehicles and low visibility due to the rapid downpour. Social media posts flooded with images of the sudden storm, with Punekars calling it an event they had never experienced before.

With strong winds and lightning in full force, residents have been urged to stay indoors and take necessary precautions until the storm clears.

The forecast also stated that pre-monsoon rainfall is expected to lash Pune until May 24, with rainfall spatially and temporally distributed.

The peripheral areas like Hadapsar and Wadgaon Sheri saw rainfall in the range of 12 mm and 11.5 mm respectively, whereas main city areas like Shivajinagar and Koregaon Park received lighter showers of 8.5 mm and 6.0 mm respectively. Other areas like Pashan (4.5 mm), Chinchwad (4.0 mm), and Magarpatta (0.5 mm) saw relatively lower precipitation levels. On a closer look at the data, it can be observed that the city’s peripheral regions, like Lavale (14.5 mm) and Lavasa (14.0 mm), received more substantial showers compared to central Pune, highlighting a gradient in rainfall intensity.

With consecutive days of rainfall in the city, the mercury has also dipped gradually with increased relative humidity in the region. Temperatures in different parts of the city, like Shivajinagar, Koregaon Park, Hadapsar, and Pimpri Chinchwad, hovered around 24.5 to 25 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature of the city was recorded at 22.7 degrees Celsius. The rainfall likely contributed to a slight dip in temperatures, offering relief to residents amidst the summer season.

The rainfall has brought much-needed cheer to residents after an intense spell of heatwave that engulfed the city for the last two months. However, the unseasonal rainfall and uneven distribution of rain across the city highlight unaddressed infrastructure bottlenecks, such as waterlogging in low-lying areas and traffic congestion on roads, even after a boost to public transport in the city.

Low-lying areas like Hadapsar and Chinchwad saw rainwater rushing onto roads, meanwhile, vehicles swarming the roads at Shivaji Nagar Metro Square and Ganeshkhind Road near Pune University campus caused heavy traffic congestion in the region. As the IMD forecasts the early arrival of the monsoon on the Indian coast, issues like waterlogging and traffic congestion on roads need to be addressed on a serious note for residents’ welfare.