Southern states are in the grip of cold wave-like conditions with plummeting mercury rewriting records in parts of Karnataka and Tamil Nadu.
In Karnataka, Mysore recorded the coldest ever day in the month of January with the minimum temperature dipping to 8 degrees Celsius eclipsing the previous lowest of 8.7 degrees Celsius recorded on January 13 last year.
The country’s IT capital and Chennai also witnessed coldest days in two and one decades respectively as the region came under an intense cold spell this week with temperatures dipping below the normal levels.
The citizens of Bangalore woke up to the coldest day in January in 19 years as the mercury dipped to 12 degrees Celsius while Chennai recorded a minimum of 17 degrees Celsius against the previous lowest of 17.5 for the month of January registered in 2010.
It has, however, been a pleasant week for Chennaiites, used to the city’s hot-hotter-hottest climate, as they enjoyed an extended winter with early morning walkers and office-goers protecting themselves with warm outfits.
The relief came days after temperatures started rising after the severe cyclonic storm Thane brought sharp showers before crossing the Tamil Nadu coast on December 30.
The hilly Nilgiris district in Tamil Nadu saw near zero temperature early this week, resulting in frost covering the landscape.
Unusual intense cold conditions also prevailed over Madurai and Coimbatore.
Regional Weather office here forecast similar cold conditions for the next two nights. “Cold wave conditions would prevail over parts of North interior Tamil Nadu, parts of Coastal Andhra Pradesh, parts of Rayalaseema and parts of interior Karnataka during next two nights,” it said.
“The sky conditions would be partly cloudy. Minimum temperature would be around 18 degree Celsius,” the weather office said adding the mercury was “markedly to largely below normal” in many parts of the southern states.
