Bengaluru shivers as mercury drops

The temperature in the city has dropped two degrees below normal, forcing people to pull out their woollens.

According to India Meteorological Department (IMD), the minimum temperature in the city is hovering around 14 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees below normal.

IMD Bengaluru director-in-charge Sunil M Metri said people are feeling cold because of the system formation between Maldives and Gujarat. Under its influence, there is no cloud formation over Karnataka, leading to drop in temperature.

The sky is clear and hence the minimum temperature has dropped, he said. This has also led fog or mist during morning and night hours, he said.

On January 20, the minimum temperature was 14.2 degrees Celsius. He asserted that the temperature has not dropped to single digit figures as people are assuming.

Previous lows

The lowest ever temperature recorded in Bengaluru was 7.8 degrees Celsius on January 14, 1884. Last year, the city recorded a minimum of 14.4 degrees Celsius on January 18. In 2016 and 2015, the minimum temperatures recorded were 12.9 on January 2 and 12.7 on January 11, respectively.