B’luru records its hottest Jan day in 150 yrs: IMD

BENGALURU: The city recorded a temperature of 33.4 degree Celsius on Thursday — the highest in January in the last 150 years, ever since the India Meteorological Department (IMD) started recording the temperature

The IMD’s observation affirmed a view among residents that the winter lasted for an unusually short while, and may be portentous of a severe summer ahead.

“The highest-ever temperature recorded in the city on January 30 was 33.4 degree Celsius. It has crossed all previous records,” Geeta Agnihotri,

director of the IMD in Bengaluru, said on Saturday.

On the same date, HAL Airport had recorded a temperature of 32.5 degree Celsius, against 33.6 degree Celsius at Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), she said.

Thursday’s temperature broke the previous record of

32.8 degree Celsius, which was recorded on January 21, 2000.

Agnihotri said the rise in temperature this year was in line with the IMDs forecast in November, which said the summer would be harsher throughout the country this year, as compared to previous ones.

“Normally, the temperature increases after Makar Sankranti [in the middle of January], but this time there has been an almost shooting rise in the temperature. Winter has practically not been there,” Agnihotri said.

Explaining the possible reasons, the IMD director said, “We are facing the impact of micro-climate, where there is too much urbanisation, too much vehicular pollution.”

She added, “Locally, the climate of a particular place is changing because of these man-made factors. This is what I feel. This is the trend throughout the country, and the world.”