‘High temperatures have exceeded predictions’

The unprecedented heat wave this summer was not entirely unforeseen by experts. It is just the hot weather conditions that have gone beyond what was predicted, they say.

“There was a prediction that the monthly mean values will increase by a degree during pre-monsoon months.

However, the temperature on Sunday has broken the 148-year record in many cities like Bengaluru and Mysuru,” said B. Puttanna, former director of Indian Meteorological Department in Bengaluru.

Mr. Puttanna traced the reasons for the sizzling heat to the poor rainfall in the region since monsoon last year.

“Though the State received fairly good pre-monsoon showers last year, it was followed by failure of not only southwest monsoon after summer, but also northeast monsoon normally expected between October and December,” he said.

Also, there have been virtually no rains since January this year also.

“Apart from these atmospheric conditions, there may be other contributing factors such as population growth, urbanisation and deforestation,” Mr Puttanna added.

However, Mr. Puttanna said that thunder showers could be expected in two or three days time. “If the trough line over the coast of Telangana and Tamil Nadu shifts to the western side, we may get rains in Karnataka,” he added.