JOIN USThe city continues to swelter. At 2.30 pm on Friday, Bengaluru recorded 35.6 degrees Celsius, 1.4 degrees more than Chennai. Bengaluru also overtook other metropolises — Mumbai and Kolkata (both 33.4 degrees).
Later in the day, the city recorded 35.8 degrees as against Chennai’s 34.7. Mumbai and Kolkata were slightly cooler at 33.5 degrees. In the last five years, Chennai has recorded a fractionally lower mean temperature for March at 35.84 degrees, as against Bengaluru’s 36.06 degrees. Chennai is generally perceived as hotter than ‘garden city’ Bengaluru.
Though the mean temperature for March in the past 10 years is fractionally higher in Chennai, Bengaluru has seen a steady rise in mercury levels. For years, the maximum temperature in Bengaluru has been the same (about 35-36), two to three degrees above normal, according to an India Metereological Department official.
On March 26, the city recorded a maximum of 37.2 degrees. The highest-ever temperature recorded in Bengaluru for the month is 37.3 degrees, on March 29, 1996. According to the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre, Lalbagh and Uttarahalli areas are the hottest in the city between 2 and 3 pm.
A week’s data comparison shows temperatures hovering around 38 and 39 degrees here, while at 11 other stations, temperatures range between 34 and 37 degrees. Officials attribute the increased temperature around Lal Bagh to construction and traffic. In Bengaluru, the centre records temperatures at its stations in Attibele, Sarjapur, Dasanapura, Hessaraghatta, ITC-Jalla, Yelahanka, Yeshwanthpur, Begur, Kengeri, Lalbagh, Uttarahalli, Bidarahalli and K R Puram.
The IMD has forecast soaring temperatures in the coming days. Weather officials attribute the increased heat to low wind speed and dry weather. An official said coastal cities should not be compared with Bengaluru. In the case of Chennai, Mumbai and Kolkata, the sea breeze helps control temperatures. “Whenever surface temperature increases, the sea breeze brings it down. If we just compare temperature and heat, these cities are cooler than Bengaluru,” he explained.
According to Prof R Sukumar, Centre for Ecological Sciences, Indian Institute of Science, Bengaluru, temperatures haven’t changed much since last year. “Glass buildings are creating heat islands where heat is absorbed and radiated,” he said. Sunder M Methri, director-in-charge, IMD, said an increase in concretisation is adding to the rise in temperatures.