‘Summer holidays’ are turning into cloudy, chilly days as maximum temperatures are seeing a big drop in many parts of Karnataka, thanks to cyclone Asani. While on Wednesday, Bengaluru had a 9 degrees Celsius departure from normal, on Thursday, it dropped further by 11 degrees Celsius.
On Thursday, the maximum temperature in the city was 23 degrees Celsius, 11 degrees Celsius below normal. The minimum temperature was 19.5 degrees Celsius — 3 degrees Celsius below normal. This was further lower than the previous days’ temperatures, which had set a record of sorts for being one of the lowest maximum temperatures in at least 10 years. While on May 10, the maximum temperature was 24.3 degrees Celsius, on Wednesday it was 25 degrees Celsius.
Geeta Agnihotri, Director, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru, told The Hindu that in the last 54 years, Bengaluru city recorded the lowest maximum of 22.2 degrees Celsius for May in 1972 on the 14th. “In the last 10 years, 24.3 degrees Celsius was recorded on May 11, 2022,” she said.
According to the IMD, Bengaluru’s data, the city’s highest maximum temperature in May was 38.9 degrees Celsius recorded on May 22, 1931, while the lowest was 16.7 degrees Celsius on May 6, 1945. The daily mean maximum temperature for the month is 33.3 degrees Celsius and minimum 21.7 degrees Celsius.
Generally, cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers have been forecast until Friday, and partly cloudy sky with one or two spells of rain or thundershowers until May 16. The maximum temperature is expected to touch 30 degrees Celsius on May 18, while it will remain between 24 degrees Celsius and 29 degrees Celsius before that.
Similar conditions were recorded in the rest of the State too. In the coastal belt, it drizzled in Mangaluru and Udupi cities and there was cloudy weather. However, some places like Karkala, Kukke Subrahmanya and other areas on the foothills of the Western Ghats received good rain. The maximum temperature in Mangaluru was 27.6 degrees Celsius — a 7 degrees Celsius departure from normal.
The temperature dropped in Mysuru and surrounding areas too. According to the IMD, Mysuru recorded a maximum temperature of 30.1 degrees Celsius during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Thursday. This was 3.9 degrees Celsius below normal. The neighbouring district of Mandya recorded a maximum temperature of 27.4 degrees Celsius during the same period. This was 7.2 degrees Celsius below normal.
Shivamogga had a steep temperature drop and the maximum temperature was 25 degrees Celsius, 10.6 degrees Celsius below normal.
The Karnataka State Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) reported that minimum temperature in the range of 17 degrees Celsius to 20 degrees Celsius was recorded in parts of Kodagu, Chamarajanagar, Mysuru, Hassan and a few other districts.
In Mysuru and surrounding regions, there were intermittent drizzles on Thursday with thick cloud cover akin to an early onset of monsoon. Rainfall was recorded at Mysuru, Naganahalli, Saligrama, Bherya, K.R. Nagar, Bilikere and other places while Mandya Srirangapatna, Pandavapura, K.R. Pet and K.R. Sagar reported significant rainfall ranging from 1 cm to 3 cm, according to IMD. The forecast for the next 24 to 48 hours hours indicate no significant change and the weather will be generally cloudy.
Due to the cyclone impact, a few parts of Bombay-Karnataka received rains on Thursday, while rest remained cloudy. In Kalyana-Karnataka, it was cloudy throughout the day with no rains.
