Receding monsoon makes City simmer

The unusually hot Sunday that Bangalore woke up to was also the hottest day the City recorded in the last decade for the month of September.

Though the City, like other parts of the State, recorded deficit rainfall, it was quite a balmy month. The temperatures, however, started soaring in the last six days, with Sunday, September 23, registering 32.5°C, making it the hottest September day in the last nine years. The City averages at 28°C during the month.

The other hottest September days for Bangalore were recorded in 1951 (33.3°C) and in 2002 (32.7°C).

Also, Bangalore, which receives an average rainfall of 211.5 mm during the month, recorded just 45.5 mm.

For the past one week, the State as a whole has been experiencing a heat wave condition, with the maximum temperature reading two to four degrees above normal.

As a result, all of Karnataka received deficit rainfall, compounding drought conditions and impacting rabi sowing adversely. With the withdrawal of southwest monsoon, rains will retreat in Karnataka by mid-October, forcing the State to reckon with another failed monsoon.

The weatherman is, however, keeping his fingers crossed, anticipating light to moderate rainfall in the next two days, which is expected to bring down the temperatures.

B Puttanna, Director, IMD, Bangalore, said the fluctuating temperature levels were because of the low pressure gradient in the Arabian Sea which had hit the wind speed.

“The winds are carriers of moisture from the ocean side. Since the wind speed is very low, there has been no clouding. Also, there is no air circulation in the Bay of Bengal for the last one week, which has resulted in an increase in day temperature,” he said.

Tuesday was the hottest day for Mysore in the last nine years. The city, which averages at 33.1°C, experienced a dry weather with four degrees above normal temperature. In Gulbarga and Gadag districts, the temperature rose by two degrees in the last week from the normal 32 and 30°C. Mangalore saw a three-degree rise.

While the coastal districts have witnessed 2 per cent above normal rainfall, the 11 North Karnataka districts saw 35 per cent below-normal rainfall. Rains in South Karnataka (16 districts) were 24 per cent below normal between September 1 and 25.

Puttanna said conditions would improve as there had been a development in the upper air cyclonic circulation over the central parts of the Bay of Bengal. “A low pressure area is expected to form over the West Central Bay of Bengal, with rains expected in Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Karnataka. We might expect rains in the next 24 hours.” The rainfall will, however, range from isolated to light/moderate till the end of the month.