Pune: Parts of Maharashtra, including Pune, are experiencing dry winter conditions characterised by low humidity, colder air and weak evaporation, district-level analyses by India Meteorological Department (IMD) showed on Saturday.IMD’s latest maps for the Aridity Anomaly Index, Standardised Precipitation Index (SPI) and Standardised Precipitation Evapotranspiration Index (SPEI) for the period ending Dec 2025 indicated that multiple districts, including Pune, Chhatrapati Shambhajinagar, Satara, Beed and Parbhani, have slipped into mild to moderate dryness — a trend meteorologists say is typical of an unusually cold and dry winter.The Aridity Anomaly Index for Dec 18-31, 2025, showed these districts already recording dry conditions. The Aridity Index measures water stress faced by plants due to inadequate moisture. “This can be attributed to limited rainfall, minimal moisture transport and reduced evaporation from soil and water bodies under cold conditions, even though reservoirs remain well-stocked following a good monsoon,” an IMD scientist said.Experts, however, said these conditions had implications for health and air quality, as cold and dry air could worsen respiratory illnesses and trap pollutants near the surface. “Pune and nearby urban areas have reported rising pollution levels in recent weeks. IMD’s Jan 2026 outlook also suggests colder-than-normal conditions, indicating that the dry winter may persist, posing discomfort for vulnerable groups such as the elderly and those with respiratory issues,” a former IMD scientist said.Satyaban Bishoyi Ratna, senior scientist and head of IMD’s Climate Applications and User Interface Division in Pune, said Dec was typically dry in Maharashtra. “The mild to moderate SPI dryness mainly reflects the absence of rainfall, which is normal for this season and does not signal drought. The moderate to strong SPEI dryness in some districts is due to sunny days and dry air accelerating moisture loss from land, despite cooler nights and climatologically normal rainfall absence,” the senior scientist said.He said current conditions were not significantly affecting crops, drinking water, or reservoirs, and there was no immediate cause for concern. “If dryness continues over the next couple of months, it could increase irrigation demand, gradually deplete soil moisture, and strain groundwater resources, especially in rain-fed and water-scarce districts. Potential impacts will depend on how weather patterns evolve in the coming weeks,” the senior scientist added.
