For N-K, it’s been one of the coldest winters
Woollies’ day out
The people of North Karnataka are fond of saying that their region has only two seasons - hot summer and hotter summer - but on Saturday, with one of the coldest winters in living memory setting their teeth clattering, they were even thinking of the past summer wistfully.
Minimum temperatures dipped alarmingly on Saturday, with Bijapur recording the lowest temperature in the State at 8.8 C. The baking hot days were just a memory as Gulbarga shivered at 9.1 degrees C, and Raichur wrapped itself in woollies at 10.
Gulbarga set a record in maximum temperature when the Mercury touched 46.1 degree Celsius in May last. On Saturday, the city for the first time in the season recorded a minimum temperature in single digit at 9.1 degree C, seven degrees below normal temperature at this time of the year.
In neighbouring Raichur too, it has been unusually cold in the last two days and the minimum and maximum temperatures have shown a downward trend.
For people in Bidar though, cold winters are common as the city is situated at an altitude and is surrounded by hills and forests. Bidar received a rainfall of 900 mm this time, a little on the higher side, and this could have sent the Mercury on a southward journey, experts believe. The minimum temperature has hovered around 12 degree C in the last four to five days, while the maximum temperature has been in the region of 25 degree Celsius.
A cold wave was observed for three days last month and a similar cold wave has been observed in the last three days too. Saturday was the coldest day, people in the district said. The weather has followed the same pattern in Bijapur district, where people wearing warm clothes throughout the day has become a common sight and mist enveloped the town till to 8 am.
In Belgaum, it’s been a story of fluctuating weather. Cold, cloudy and hot conditions have taken turns in the past few days. There was rain a few days ago, thanks to cyclone ‘Jal’ and it is believed to be a reason for the falling temperature.
It’s been biting cold in neighbouring Dharwad district, with temperatures falling considerably in the last three days. That winter has been so unsparing, even in the initial days, has become a hot topic of discussion in the district. This has people wondering, whether all this is the result of the much-debated phenomenon of global warming. Usually, such cold weather is experienced in January.
However, Saturday’s temperatures are not the lowest recorded in the region. Gulbarga recorded 5.6 degree C in the winter of 1945, Bidar had a freezing 3.9 in 1901 and Belgaum has seen 6.6 degree C.
