PUNE: The city recorded a minimum temperature of 18°C on Thursday — the third lowest for the month of September in a decade.The dip in the minimum temperature, experts said, can be attributed to the unusually dry weather and clear skies. And this is not the first time that the mercury has dipped to its lows this month.On September 9, the minimum temperature in Shivajinagar had plunged to 17.5°C, making it the lowest for the month of September since 2001. It was in the year 2000 that September’s minimum temperature had dipped to 17.3°C.On Thursday (September 13), the minimum temperature in the city dipped to 18°C —the third lowest September minimum temperature in a decade. The second lowest minimum temperature for September was recorded in September 2015 when the mercury dipped to 17.9°C.Not just Shivajinagar, but other areas in the city are also recording unusually low temperatures this month. Pashan recorded a minimum temperature of 16.8°C on Thursday, the lowest of the season for the location.Warm days and cool nights have become a norm in the city since the past few days owing to cloudless nights.The lowest September temperatures have usually remained over 18°C during the last decade, weather experts said.A K Srivastava, head of climate monitoring and analysis at India Meteorological Department (IMD), Pune, told TOI that the lack of cloud cover and moisture during the nights have caused the night temperature in the city to plunge.“When it rains, humidity and clouds persist even during the night, which keep the minimum temperature on the higher side than what it is during a cloudless night. This is because the longwave radiation emitted during the night tends to get trapped near the earth’s surface due to cloudy skies, keeping the temperature relatively warmer,” Srivastava said.He said when the skies are comparatively clearer, this radiation finds an escape into the atmosphere, resulting in cooler than normal night temperature. “September has been markedly dry, with a lack of moisture and clouds, which have resulted in a drop in the minimum temperature in the city over the last few days,” Srivastava added.The minimum temperature is recorded during the early morning hours, at 5.30am.

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