Though May is over, stifling heat seems to linger in the city with the mercury level touching 40.1 degrees Celsius on Friday.
In Meenambakkam, the maximum temperature recorded was 39.8 degrees Celsius, two degrees above the normal temperature for the month. The mercury level in the city and suburbs has been steadily rising since Wednesday.
Officials of the meteorological department said though the sea breeze had set in around noon, it did not help much in bringing down the temperature due to reduced moisture content in the air.
Strong westerlies contributed to the steady rise in the mercury level.
With the onset of the southwest monsoon in Kerala on Friday, the city may have some respite from the sweltering weather in a few days. “We cannot rule out increase in temperature as peak summer spills over to June too. We have to wait for the monsoon to advance further for relief from soaring temperatures,” said an official.
Last year, the temperature peaked at a maximum of 39.7 degrees Celsius on June 21, 23 and 27. The all-time high for June was 43.3 degrees Celsius recorded on June 3, 1948.
The department forecasts the maximum temperature will hover around 41 degrees Celsius during the weekend.
