Pre-monsoon showers temper searing heat

North Karnataka faces the possibility of a heat wave in the next few days, says Met official

Young boys cool off in a tank. Met gurus predict a heat wave will hit the region over the next few days.

Just as the city grappled with the news of a record-breaking mercury rise on Sunday, a blanket of thunderclouds brought promise of respite in several parts of the State, including Bangalore, on Monday.

In Bangalore, where mercury rose to 37.6 degrees Celsius on Sunday setting a 25-year record, pre-monsoon thundershowers eased the searing heat in several parts of the city. The temperature dipped marginally to 37.1 on Monday, a figure which was nevertheless the highest that the city has recorded in over 10 years.

An upper air trough that has formed over coastal and south interior Karnataka is responsible for the unexpected change in weather, said B. Puttanna, Director of the Bangalore Meteorological Centre. He added that moisture-laden winds from the south have also contributed to the thundershowers in these parts of the State.

The meteorological centre has forecast thundershowers in parts of south interior Karnataka in the next 48 hours. On Monday, moderate rain was reported in Hassan, Tumkur and Mysore.

Heat wave likely

Meanwhile, north Karnataka continues to reel under scorching heat, with the possibility of a heat wave in the next few days, according to Mr. Puttanna. Gulbarga recorded the highest temperature in the State at 43.4 degrees Celsius on Monday and Gadag was not far behind at 40.1 degrees.

“These temperatures are three to four degrees above the normal figures. A heat wave is declared when the temperature is five to six degrees in excess of the normal,” he explained. A heat wave is not unlikely, considering the conditions in north India where temperatures across many States have lingered between 40 and 45 degrees Celsius over the last two days. On Sunday, New Delhi recorded 41.6 degrees Celsius, six degrees above normal, while Sambalpur in Orissa was the hottest in the country at 45.6 degrees Celsius.

There is, however, a possibility of rain, which could bring some “cosmetic relief” to parts of north Karnataka, said V.S. Prakash, Director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre. “Pre-monsoon showers in north Karnataka may bring down the temperature temporarily but do not necessarily contribute to the water resources.”