A 100 days of heat for the city

A 100 days of heat for the city
New Indian Express

BANGALORE: Gone are the days when the city was known for its moderate summers. The mercury soared to 35.9 degrees Celsius on February 16 this year, the highest recorded for the month in history.

These conditions will continue for the next 100 days. According to the Meteorological Department, it will take at least that long for the showers to begin. ‘‘A person may feel that 34 degrees Celsius is too hot to bear. But for the atmosphere to become unstable enough to cause rain, it requires continuous heating of the landmass for many days,’’ said Met department director A.L. Koppar.

March will be a very dry month, he added. ‘‘There may be a sporadic occurrence of light rain, but the showers that actually have some cooling effect will come later.’’

For the last decade or so, temperatures have been hitting 36 and 37 degrees Celsius every year, thanks to the ‘‘heat island effect.” This means that a particular region is warmer compared to its surrounding areas. The temperature in the city is always one or two degrees more than the outskirts, a phenomenon that normally occurs in metropolitan areas.

The Met department always records cooler temperatures at the airport compared to the city. The mercury drops by another 0.7 degrees Celsius if one proceeds to Yelahanka.

Although global warming is one reason, soaring mercury levels in the city are more likely due to local factors. ‘‘The era of 1960s, when many homes did not have fans, is over. Bangalore’s surface conditions have changed a lot since then. On one hand, the number of roads and concrete buildings has increased. On the other, there is a loss of water bodies and greenery. “All these have led to the heat island effect, which speaks for the extent of urbanisation,’’ Koppar said