At 31.9°C, Bengaluru closer to 75-year September heat record - The Times of India

Bengaluru: By its traditional weather calendar, Bengaluru should now be basking in one of the southwest monsoon's wettest phases. Instead, temperatures in Bengaluru are hovering between 30°C and 32°C for the past few days, pushing the city perilously close to a 75-year Sept heat record. Tired of too many ads? go ad free now According to India Meteorological Department, Bengaluru touched 32.2°C on Sunday, followed by 31.9°C on Monday, unusual for September.Bengaluru's all-time Sept maximum is 33.3°C, recorded on Sept 16, 1951. Monday's maximum was 1.4°C short of that mark. 'The near-record temperature across Bengaluru city is largely influenced by El Nino. This dry condition is likely to prevail for the next couple of days,' said CS Patil, scientist at IMD, Bengaluru. The heat is accompanied by an equally unusual absence of rain across large parts of the state. While some parts of north Karnataka received light to moderate isolated showers, coastal Karnataka and south-interior Karnataka recorded nil rainfall. A senior official from Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre said as many as 122 taluks had reported zero rainfall for three consecutive weeks. With Karnataka declaring 101 of its 239 taluks as drought-hit, officials expect the number to rise sharply before the official southwest monsoon season ends later this month. The prolonged dry spell has disrupted the state's kharif-sowing pattern. Agriculture and horticulture officials said the impact is beginning to show across rainfed areas, with production expected to take a major hit. Videos Up Next