It’s one more list that the district tops at in the State, but this time, it has brought in with it misery for the citizens here.
Though the weathermen are not unanimous on how much the mercury rose, both the Indian Metrological Department (IMD) and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) concur that Tuesday and Wednesday had higher-than-normal temperatures here.
The KSNDMC records the mercury hitting 42 degrees Celsius in Puttur on Wednesday, down from 43.5C a day before. Their readings from Kadaba and Uppinanangadi show similar temperatures, making Puttur the hottest taluk in the State. Even the above-normal temperature at Mangalore was 37.8 degrees Celsius at 1 p.m. And with a Relative Humidity of 100 per cent, the heat took on oppressive dimensions.
“With the average normal temperature for Dakshina Kannada being around 34 degrees in March, we are seeing deviations of more than three degrees C across the district,” said a climatologist at KSNDMC.
The deviation remains a localised phenomenon around the mountainous coastal areas as the neighbouring districts are seeing maximum temperatures rise up to 41.2 degrees (Udupi) and 40.6 degree (Kodagu). “Between February 27 and March 11, there was a convective effect that saw lower temperatures and even hailstorms in North Karnataka. Temperatures were expected to rise anyway. There are heat islands locally that can see abnormal rise in temperature — even between Mangalore and Puttur,” said V.S. Prakash, Director of KSNDMC.
However, IMD director B. Puttanna dismissed the temperatures recorded by KSNMDC as faulty. “It is highly unlikely that temperatures have crossed 40 degrees C. Yes, Tuesday was four degrees C above normal, and Wednesday saw a cooling down to two degrees C above normal due to change in wind direction. But the temperature there is around 38 degrees C, and not 43 degrees C,” he said.
Mr. Prakash brushed away the allegation, claiming that as the State body had more stations in the district, and its recordings were more accurate than the IMD’s that has two stations (Airport, and Mangalore city).
