Karnataka - Bangalore   

Bangalore is sizzling hot now

By Divya Sreedharan

BANGALORE, MARCH 20. The sun has been particularly harsh on this part of India. Though it is only mid-March, the temperature has already touched 36 degrees Celsius in Bangalore.

And officials of the Meteorological Centre here expect things to get hotter in the coming six weeks.

The Director of the centre, Anand L. Koppar, agreed that such a high temperature was unusual for March. "It is three degrees above normal. But on March 29, 1996, the temperature was 37.3 degrees Celsius," he told The Hindu. Last March, by contrast, Bangalore averaged around 34 degrees Celsius.

Dr. Koppar said this March, the entire Southern peninsula had heated up and Karnataka had been badly affected.

"The temperature in districts such as Bellary, Gulbarga, and Raichur have touched 40 degrees Celsius and we have indicated likely heat-wave conditions in those places," he said.

"A reduced frequency of western disturbances has caused this hot weather," the official observed. These were weather systems that moved across North India - Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, and Haryana. "There should have been more of these disturbances as they normally induce rain and cool the area. This time, we have had dry, westerly winds without these systems."

These winds had moved over Gujarat, Rajasthan, and north-western Madhya Pradesh heating up those places.

And Karnataka had also been affected.

As the landscape was already dry, the situation had just become drier and hotter. Besides, there had been no rain since September 2003.

"Temperatures will only come down if there are summer showers," the official added.

Printer friendly page  
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Karnataka

News: Front Page | National | Tamil Nadu | Andhra Pradesh | Karnataka | Kerala | New Delhi | Other States | International | Opinion | Business | Sport | Miscellaneous |
Advts: Classifieds | Employment | Updates: Breaking News |

Stories in this Section

• Three women robbed of gold chains
• Traders fear ban on use of recycled plastic may hit business
• Bangalore is sizzling hot now
• No power cut today
• Monkey shot dead
• Six women get Swami Gnanananda Awards
• Mathematics laboratory opened
• Directory of humorists
• College puts counselling on hold
• Around The City
• In Bangalore Today

Copyright © 2004, The Hindu. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu