With the mercury touching 42 degree Celsius over the past couple of days, Tiruchi is experiencing one of the hottest summers in the past 10 years.
Residents are scurrying for cover as Tiruchi is also the hottest city in the State right now, according to the weather bulletin at the website of the Regional Meteorological Centre, Chennai. Even Vellore, known for its scorching summer, was slightly better at 41 degree Celsius on Sunday.
The monsoon failure and the continuing dry spell have accentuated the dry weather conditions.
The mercury has been climbing steadily over the past few days with the daytime temperature touching 42 degree Celsius on Saturday and Sunday, making for scorching days and sultry nights.
This makes the month one of the hottest for the city over the past decade. According to the meteorological centre website, the previous high was on April 18, 2004, when the city registered 42.3 degree Celsius. In recent years, the maximum temperature in the city has been consistently above 40 degree Celsius during April.
In 2012, the hottest days were April 18 and 19, when the city recorded 40.8 degree Celsius. On April 21, 2010, the temperature in the city had touched 40.4 degree Celsius. The all-time record of extreme weather in Tiruchi during April was 42.8 degree Celsius recorded on April 19, 1896.
The Meteorological Department forecast of dry weather and below normal rainfall has ominous portends for the city residents and farmers of the district. Residents in several dry belts of the district such as Manapparai, Marungapuri and Thathaiyengarpet are facing drinking water shortage.
The groundwater level has reached a new low in the district, said A. Nagarajan, president, Tamil Nadu Horticulture Crop Producers Association, urging the Public Works Department to urgently release water in all irrigation channels in the district to meet the drinking water requirements.
The scorching summer is expected to continue in May unless there are some summer showers. The record for maximum temperature in the city for the month is 43.3 degree Celsius recorded on May 2, 1896.
The neighbouring districts such as Karur, Perambalur, Ariyalur, and Pudukottai districts has also been experiencing hot weather conditions.
