PUNE: Heavy rain has been predicted by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) over Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada and Konkan and Goa on October 8 and October 9. For Pune city, the IMD has forecast spells of rain and thundershowers till October 11. 

Many cities in the State experienced October heat conditions, with Yavatmal recording 36.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday. Pune recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius.

IMD has also issued an operational forecast for the 2017 northeast monsoon season, that is October to December rainfall over the southern peninsula, which includes states like Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Kerala and south interior Karnataka.

The monsoon is most likely to be normal, between 89 per cent to 111 per cent of the long period average, with rainfall for the season expected to be around 332.1 mm, stated IMD.

The southwest monsoon has been active over coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and south interior Karnataka. However, it has been subdued over Assam, Meghalaya, West Bengal, Sikkim, Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, east Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat Region, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada, Vidarbha and Kerala. The IMD noted that in the regions from where the southwest monsoon has withdrawn, day temperatures were appreciably above normal in some parts of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, Rajasthan and of Gujarat Region and above normal in some parts of Punjab and Haryana. 

The highest maximum temperature recorded in the country on Thursday was 41 degrees Celsius at Churu in west Rajasthan. 

Night temperatures were appreciably above normal in some parts of Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and west Rajasthan and were above normal in some parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Gujarat. 

The lowest minimum temperature recorded on Thursday across the country was 18 degrees Celsius at Sikar in east Rajasthan.