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Bengaluru saw its warmest December in 10 years in 2023. According to data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the city recorded an average temperature of 23.15 degrees Celsius in December 2023. A decade ago, in 2013, the average temperature for the month hovered around 22 degrees Celsius.
While the morning temperatures remained close to 27°C, the temperature during the night seems to have increased by nearly three degrees Celsius, from 15.9°C in Dec 2013 to 18.6°C in Dec 2023.
Scientists attributed the rise to the El Nino effect. “The morning temperature has more or less remained close to the average. But the night temperature is what has caused the average temperature to go up. We predict that this might be due to the El Nino effect,” A Prasad, senior scientist at IMD (Bengaluru), told DH.
El Nino is a weather phenomenon during which the temperatures in the central and eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean rise.
While the winter temperatures have risen, monsoons have also been bad. With just 1020.2 mm of rainfall in 2023, Bengaluru recorded the lowest annual rainfall in three years.
While 474.6 mm of rainfall was recorded between June and September (southwest monsoon), 202.9 mm of rainfall was recorded in October and November (northeast monsoon). The entire year, the city had only 54 rainy days.
A few experts said that the changing weather patterns could be an indication that climate change was gripping the city. However, a few others maintained that a few variabilities were common and a deeper analysis of the data was required.
“La Nina and El Nino seem to have an impact on the weather patterns across the globe. While the rising temperatures are an indication of climate change, there is a need for more study in the area,” said a senior researcher who did not want to be named.
The IMD has predicted that warmer temperatures might continue through January and February. Temperatures, especially in the evening hours, are expected to be at least two degrees Celsius more than normal.