With the India Meteorological Department’s (IMD) seasonal forecast on temperature for March and the remaining summer season painting a grim picture for Kerala, the biggest question now is whether March 2024 would upend previous heat benchmarks in the State. The latest monthly forecast issued by the IMD warned of above normal temperatures in Kerala between March and May.
Further, when the forecast is hopeful of normal to above-normal summer rainfall over most parts of the country, summer rain is likely to give southern Kerala a miss in March, where below-normal rainfall is expected as per the forecast of the IMD. However, central and north Kerala are likely to get some relief in the month, with the possibility of some isolated summer showers.
Like in previous years, parts of Palakkad, Thrissur, Kollam, Kannur and Kottayam are likely to bear the brunt of the rising temperature. As per the record books of IMD between 1901 and 2020, the highest extreme temperature of 41.4°C was recorded in Palakkad on March 31, 1983, followed by 40.6°C in Punalur on March 30, 1992, 40.4°C at Vellanikkara in Thrissur on March 26, 2019, and 39.1°C in Kannur on March 12, 2016.
