JOIN USA cold wave is sweeping Vijayapura district. The citizens are curling up with warm woollies on cold nights and waking up to chilly mornings.
Even as warm sun rays shoot their way through thick fog that has been engulfing the City every day, people are unable to wake up from their snugly slumber. Early birds like joggers, newspaper hawkers, students, homemakers and milkmen are finding it tough to battle the chill.
Campfires are lit at most places and people are found attired in the best of their winter wear. The district recorded a minimum temperature of 15 degrees Celsius in the first week of November. It has now recorded 11 degrees Celsius in the last week. By December first week, the mercury levels are expected to dip further, said Dr H Venkatesh, agriculture and environment expert from the Regional Agricultural Research Station, Vijayapura.
Speaking to Deccan Herald, he said the district recorded a minimum temperature between 5.6 and 8.2 degrees Celsius between November 22 and 25 in 2007. It recorded 6 and 8.9 degrees Celsius between December 18 and 26, in 2010 and between 7 and 10.6 degrees Celsius from January 7 to 16, in 2011.
Explaining why the district experiences maximum cold, he said, if the monsoon is short then the region is gripped by severe cold. Also, the region experiences a chilly winter if the atmospheric pressure is heavy in North India and the cold winds are blowing in the North-East direction.
However, the weather in not conducive for white jowar, the major crop cultivated in this belt.
The crop growth is curtailed and the yield too will be affected, Venkatesh added.
According to agriculture expert Dr Jamadar, chickpea, tur and grapes will be infested by pests and diseases in the prevailing conditions.