Winter won't be severe this year: IMD

Bengalureans are pulling out their sweaters and jackets as mercury levels dip, enveloping the City in a chilly, dense fog in the early mornings, evenings and late nights.

However, even as the temperature continues to dip, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast that winter will not be severe this year. Though it is foggy and cold in the mornings and evenings, it is extremely hot in the afternoons.

The reasons are not far to seek, according to IMD director B Puttanna. This is because of the dry easterly winds and the changing clouding pattern. If it is cloudy in the day, the temperature will drop, but if it is cloudy during evening and night, the temperature will rise, he said.

Until Saturday, the maximum and minimum temperatures hovered around 29.1 and 18.3 degrees Celsius. The normal maximum being 27 degrees Celsius and normal minimum temperature being 17 degrees Celsius.

Puttanna recollected that temperatures in the last few years had not dropped much since 2010 and said that this pattern was likely to continue this year, too. Extreme winters are only being experienced in north Indian states and occasionally in North Karnataka.

Also, during this period, change in the weather pattern is common and it depends upon clouding, wind speed and direction. Gradually, as the easterly winds start to prevail, temperatures will start dropping further, but it will not be much, he said.

Statistics

Since 2010, during December, the lowest minimum temperatures in Bengaluru were 12.9 degrees Celsius on December 24, 2010; 12.8 degrees Celsius on December 24, 2011; 14.4 degrees Celsius on December 15, 2012, and 13.6 degrees Celsius on December 16, 2014.
In November, the lowest minimum temperature ever recorded was 9.6 degrees Celsius on November 15, 1967. In 2013, the lowest minimum in November was 15.6 degrees Celsius. In 2012, it was 13.3 degrees Celsius on November 19. In 2011, it was 15 degrees Celsius and in 2010, it was 17.5 degrees Celsius on November 29.