The maximum temperature for Mysuru has touched the 35 degrees Celsius mark and the severity of the heat is on the rise with each passing day.
The Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) which monitors the weather indicated that the maximum temperature in Mysuru hit the 35 degrees Celsius mark during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Monday.
The severity of the heat was equally torrid in the adjoining districts and Mandya recorded a maximum of 34.8 degrees Celsius while Chamarajanagar registered 34.9 degrees Celsius during the same period. Kodagu which once used to boast of a moderate climate and was an attractive destination to beat the heat during summer, was not far behind. The maximum temperature was 33.7 degrees Celsius while its minimum temperature was higher than its neighbouring districts.
While the minimum temperature in Kodagu during the 24-hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Monday was 20.2 degrees Celsius, the minimum temperature in Mysuru was 19.2 degrees Celsius, in Mandya it was 18 degrees Celsius while Chamarajanagar recorded a minimum of 18.6 degrees Celsius during the same period, according to KSNDMC.
Private weather service provider Skymet pegged the maximum temperature for Mysuru at 34 degrees Celsius for Wednesday but its 15 day forecast for Mysuru indicates that the temperature will hit the 35 degrees Celsius mark on Wednesday.
According to Indian Meteorological Department records, the highest ever temperature for the month of February for Mysuru was 36.1 degrees Celsius recorded on February 28th, 1931 and the extreme lowest temperature was 8.6 degrees Celsius recorded on February 14, 2006.
The KSNDMC recorded temperature of 35 degrees Celsius for Mysuru for the 24 hour period ending 8.30 a.m. on Monday, was also higher than the mean of the highest maximum temperature for the month which is 33.5 degrees Celsius.
Given the severity of the heat as early as in February, there are concerns over the climatic conditions in the weeks ahead. Historically summer tends to peak during March and April in Mysuru. It is only the onset of pre-monsoon rains that brings an early reprieve but they are still two months away.
Mr. Govindaraju, who used to monitor weather at the Naganahalli Agro Met Field Unit of IMD, and has since retired, said monsoon failure and the severity of the drought has intensified the heat this year. The IMD’s Gramin Krishi Mausam Sewa has also forecast that the maximum temperature could reach 37.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
In the meantime, people, when out during afternoon, are taking recourse to tender coconut and sugarcane juice to quench their thirst and beat the heat.
However, the Mysuru-Mandya-Chamarajanagar belt is ‘’relatively cooler’’ when compared to a few districts in central and northern Karnataka where the temperature has crossed the 36 degrees Celsius mark.
Bagalkote recorded 37.3 degrees Celsius while Ballari, Kalaburagi, and Gadag recorded 36.8 degrees Celsius and Raichur was sizzling at 37.8 degrees Celsius, as per the KSNDMC records.
