Geography

Pune is 560 m (1,840 ft) above sea level on the western margin of the Deccan plateau. It is on the leeward side of theSahyadri mountain range, which forms a barrier from the Arabian Sea. It is a hilly city, with its highest hill, Vetal Hill, rising to 800 m (2,600 ft) above sea level. Just outside the city, the Sinhagad fort is at an altitude of 1,300 m. It lies between 18° 32" North latitude and 73° 51" East longitude.

Central Pune is at the confluence of the Mula and Mutha Rivers. The Pavana and Indrayani Rivers, tributaries of the Bhima River, traverse the northwestern outskirts of metropolitan Pune.

Seismology[edit]

Pune lies very close to the seismically active zone around Koyna Dam, about 100 km (62 mi) south of the city, and has been rated in Zone 3 (on a scale of 2 to 5, with 5 being the most prone to earthquakes) by the India Meteorological Department. Pune has experienced some moderate- and many low-intensity earthquakes in its history.

Earthquakes felt in Pune with a magnitude of more than 3.0 are listed below.

Parts of Pune City[edit]

The city of Pune can be divided into the following zones:

North Western Suburbs (administered by PCMC).

Climate[edit]

The climate of Pune has changed during the past 3 decades, especially since the rapid expansion of the industrial belts. Pune has a hot semi-arid climate (BSh) bordering with tropical wet and dry (Aw) with average temperatures ranging between 19 to 33 °C (66 to 91 °F).

Pune experiences three seasons: summer, monsoon, and winter.

Typical summer months are from March to June often extending till 15 June, with maximum temperatures sometimes reaching 42 °C (108 °F). The warmest month in Pune is between 20 April and 20 May; although summer doesn't end until May, the city often receives heavy dusty winds in May (and humidity remains high). Even during the hottest months, the nights are usually cool due to Pune's high altitude. The highest temperature ever recorded was 43.3 °C (109.9 °F) on 30 April 1897.^[49]

The monsoon lasts from June to October, with moderate rainfall and temperatures ranging from 22 to 28 °C (72 to 82 °F). Most of the 722 mm (28.43 in) of annual rainfall in the city falls between June and September, and July is the wettest month of the year. Hailstorms are not unheard of in this region.

Winter traditionally begins in November; November in particular is referred to as the Rosy Cold (literal translation) (Marathi: गुलाबी थंडी) which can be experienced typically during the festive season of Diwali. The daytime temperature hovers around 26 °C (79 °F) while night temperature is below 9 °C (48 °F) for most of December and January, often dropping to 5 to 6 °C (41 to 43 °F). The lowest temperature ever recorded was 1.7 °C (35 °F) on 17 January 1935.^[50]