Most parts of the State are shivering under a cold spell characterised by nippy mornings as dry, cold winds from North India sweep across the southern peninsula.
“The cold wave in North India and the northerly winds are responsible for the dip in temperature across the State since January 3,” says K. Santhosh, Director, Met Centre, Thiruvananthapuram. Kottayam district has seen the highest departure in minimum temperature of 4.6 degrees Celsius from January 1 to 7.
The district recorded the lowest of 160 C on January 3.
Frost in Munnar
With the temperature sharply dipping over the weekend, the hill station of Munnar experienced frost on Sunday, leaving a white carpet over the hills.
“The neighbouring regions in Karnataka and the hill areas in Tamil Nadu had also recorded colder than average temperatures over the past week,” Mr. Santhosh said.
“The nippy mornings are followed by hot days due to the clear sky and dry atmosphere which keep the outgoing radiation high,” he said.
Mr. Santhosh said the wind pattern was showing signs of changing. “The dry northerlies are slowly giving way to moisture-laden easterlies. This will lead to increased humidity and cloud formation, lifting the cold spell and lowering the day temperature. The weather is expected to normalise over the next two days,” he said.
On Monday morning, Kottayam recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 17.70 C, followed by Punalur (18.0) and Cochin airport (18.2). Kozhikode registered the highest daytime maximum temperature of 33.40 C, followed by Alappuzha (33.1).
