At 36.4°C, city records hottest March in 5 years
Bengaluru on Friday (March 29) recorded the hottest day of the year so far. Both Bengaluru city and Kempegowda International Airport stations recorded a maximum of 36.4°C which is the highest in the last five years for the city.
“Today Bengaluru city recorded 36.4°C which is the highest in the last five years, the fourth highest in the last 15 years and the third highest in the last 10 years,” said A. Prasad, a scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru. On Friday, HAL airport recorded a maximum of 35.5°C.
He said the city last recorded temperatures above 37°C in 2019 and 2017. The highestever temperature for March was 37.3°C, which was recorded in 1996. The minimum temperature on Friday in Bengaluru city and KIA were 23.6°C and 22°C. The minimum temperature at HAL airport was 21.6 °C.
The IMD Bengaluru on Friday forecast the likelihood of dry weather over all the districts of Karnataka till April 4. With temperatures in some districts breaching the 40°C mark and many others crossing the 38°C, there will be no respite from the scorching sun for the next few days.
40.9° in Kalaburagi
According to the IMD, the highest maximum temperature of 40.9°C was recorded in Kalaburagi, and the lowest minimum temperature of 19.5°C was recorded in Chamarajanagar. The other districts that recorded high temperatures are Bagalkot 40.6°C, Koppal 39.6°C, Raichur 39.8°C, and Gadag 39.0°C.
The IMD said the maximum temperatures are likely to rise by two to three degrees Celsius at isolated places over interior Karnataka during the next three days.
Heat wave conditions
It has also issued a heat warning stating that heat wave conditions are likely to prevail at isolated places in Kalaburagi, Bagalkot, Bidar, Vijayapura, Yadgir, Raichur, and Koppal districts of north interior Karnataka during the next two days.
“There is no possibility of rain in the next few days. All across Karnataka, we will have dry weather conditions for the next week. We are not seeing any cloud formation, and we might have rainfall only in the second week of April. We will know the probability of rainfall, whether it will be normal, below normal or above normal, by the end of this month or April 1,” Mr. Prasad said.
He added that if the average temperature in a district is more than 38°C then a heatwave warning or yellow alert is declared.
The districts of Kalaburgi, Vijayapura, Bagalkot, Raichur, Koppal, Gadag, Ballari and Tumakuru recorded more than 38°C at 8.30 a.m. on Friday. The maximum temperature in both Haveri and Davangere was 38.2°C.