The tourism season in Maharashtra has kicked off, bringing a surge of visitors to the picturesque hill stations of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani. Amidst the drop in temperatures, Mahabaleshwar has experienced a unique spectacle as frozen dew covered various parts of the popular tourist destination, particularly in the Venna Lake area.

The cold in the state has intensified in recent days, making the chill even more pronounced. Known as the "Kashmir of Maharashtra," the Mahabaleshwar-Panchgani region in Satara has been enjoying a particularly cold spell. On Tuesday morning, the Venna Lake and Lingamala areas witnessed frozen dew, adding a magical touch to the landscape. The dew points turned to ice, especially visible on the tops of vehicles parked in the Venna Lake - Lingamala area and on the jetty of Venna Lake.

The cold has intensified in the city and surrounding areas, creating stunning natural beauty as a result. According to the Meteorological Department, the minimum temperature has been hovering between 10 to 12 degrees Celsius in recent days, continuing to drop further in the evenings. The severe cold in the Venna Lake area caused dew points to freeze, creating a picturesque sight. A light layer of ice was seen on the iron jetty used for boating, and a more substantial accumulation was found on vehicle roofs. Locals were seen enjoying this rare phenomenon, marking the first snowfall-like sighting of the season.

The chill has intensified not only in Mahabaleshwar but also in the surrounding areas of Panchgani, with temperatures dipping further. By Tuesday morning, temperatures had dropped to as low as 4 degrees Celsius, causing the dew points to freeze and form ice. As the cold continues, the Venna Lake and Lingamala areas are becoming even more captivating with nature's stunning transformation. On Tuesday morning, the Venna Lake area was shrouded in a blanket of fog, and locals sought warmth by the fire to shield themselves from the intense cold.

In the Smriti Van area near Lingamala, frozen dew had formed on tree leaves and bushes, showing that the cold was more severe here than in the Venna Lake area. This marks the first instance of frozen dew this winter season, and tourists are hopeful that the cold will persist, allowing them to experience this beautiful phenomenon again.

Intensified cold in Satara

Over the past week, Satara district has been experiencing intensified cold, with misty fog in the mornings. The dew point at the Venna Lake Jetty, famous for boating, has now turned to frozen dew, the first of its kind this season. The cold continues to captivate both locals and tourists, providing a rare natural beauty in the region, and contributing to the growing popularity of Mahabaleshwar and Panchgani as winter destinations.

In 2017, tourists and residents of Mahabaleshwar, situated approximately 120km from Pune in the Western Ghat ranges in Satara district, were treated to an unusual spectacle as frozen dew drops blanketed the popular hill station.

Meteorologists attribute this phenomenon to a dew-point temperature of -1.6 degrees Celsius around the Venna lake and Lingmala sites in the hill station.

The India Meteorological Department (IMD) had later clarified that this occurrence is distinct from actual snowfall witnessed in the higher ridges of northern states like Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Mahabaleshwar's temperature is relatively warm for snowfall compared to these northern regions.

A senior IMD official in Pune had stated, "Various locations across the hill station may have worn a snowy look because of the frozen dew."