Pune: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red warning specifically for Pune's ghat areas, warning of intensified monsoon activity over the next two days.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in parts of Maharashtra till Monday. The Met department strongly advised against visiting ghat areas and vulnerable spots till Monday. The warning comes amid ongoing rain-related casualties in Maharashtra. On Saturday alone, three fatalities — two in Nashik (one due to a gorge fall and another from a tree fall) and one in Thane (drowning) — were reported.The forecast stated that the ghats in Pune were particularly vulnerable, with the IMD's five-day outlook showing "very heavy to heavy rainfall at isolated places" with "occasional strong surface winds" expected to reach speeds of 45-55kmph.

An IMD official said, "The monsoon winds are strengthening, and as the wind speed increases, it enhances rainfall activity over the ghat areas. That's what we expect during July 6-7, especially over the ghat regions of Pune and Madhya Maharashtra.

Besides Pune's ghats, several other regions like Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg are also expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall. The Konkan region, in particular, has been forecast to receive intense rainfall with strong surface winds."

The IMD forecast showed that while many districts in Maharashtra will experience heavy rainfall, the ghats of Pune stand out with the most severe warning category. Other major cities like Mumbai, Thane and Dhule are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places, but without the red alert classification. These districts instead have yellow or orange alerts. On the systems contributing to the intensification, the official said, "There is an upper air cyclonic circulation over northern parts of Gangetic West Bengal up to 7.6km tilting southwards.

Under its influence a low pressure is likely to form over the Gangetic West Bengal during the next 24 hours. Also, a trough from northeastern Arabian Sea to the above cyclonic circulation in the middle tropospheric levels is playing a role.

An offshore trough from the south Gujarat to Karnataka coast, is also likely to contribute."IMD has emphasized that preventive measures should be implemented based on orange and red warnings, with vulnerable urban and hilly regions requiring immediate action when heavy rainfall alerts are issued.

While the ghats of Pune face a red warning, the ghats in Satara and Nashik have been placed under orange alerts for the next couple of days, followed by yellow alerts. In contrast to the light rain predictions issued till recently, Pune city itself has now been upgraded to a light to moderate rainfall warning for the coming days.Pune: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Saturday issued a red warning specifically for Pune's ghat areas, warning of intensified monsoon activity over the next two days.

Heavy to very heavy rainfall is also expected in parts of Maharashtra till Monday. The Met department strongly advised against visiting ghat areas and vulnerable spots till Monday. The warning comes amid ongoing rain-related casualties in Maharashtra.

On Saturday alone, three fatalities — two in Nashik (one due to a gorge fall and another from a tree fall) and one in Thane (drowning) — were reported.The forecast stated that the ghats in Pune were particularly vulnerable, with the IMD's five-day outlook showing "very heavy to heavy rainfall at isolated places" with "occasional strong surface winds" expected to reach speeds of 45-55kmph.

An IMD official said, "The monsoon winds are strengthening, and as the wind speed increases, it enhances rainfall activity over the ghat areas. That's what we expect during July 6-7, especially over the ghat regions of Pune and Madhya Maharashtra.

Besides Pune's ghats, several other regions like Raigad, Ratnagiri, and Sindhudurg are also expected to witness heavy to very heavy rainfall. The Konkan region, in particular, has been forecast to receive intense rainfall with strong surface winds."The IMD forecast showed that while many districts in Maharashtra will experience heavy rainfall, the ghats of Pune stand out with the most severe warning category. Other major cities like Mumbai, Thane and Dhule are likely to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall at isolated places, but without the red alert classification. These districts instead have yellow or orange alerts. On the systems contributing to the intensification, the official said, "There is an upper air cyclonic circulation over northern parts of Gangetic West Bengal up to 7.6km tilting southwards.

Under its influence a low pressure is likely to form over the Gangetic West Bengal during the next 24 hours. Also, a trough from northeastern Arabian Sea to the above cyclonic circulation in the middle tropospheric levels is playing a role.

An offshore trough from the south Gujarat to Karnataka coast, is also likely to contribute."IMD has emphasized that preventive measures should be implemented based on orange and red warnings, with vulnerable urban and hilly regions requiring immediate action when heavy rainfall alerts are issued. While the ghats of Pune face a red warning, the ghats in Satara and Nashik have been placed under orange alerts for the next couple of days, followed by yellow alerts. In contrast to the light rain predictions issued till recently, Pune city itself has now been upgraded to a light to moderate rainfall warning for the coming days.