The heat is on, and it is just February

The heat is on, and it is just February
Jayashree Nandi | TNN

Bangalore: Brace yourself for a long, hot summer, which is here almost a month early this year. Or, head for the hills. While February was always a part of winter, scorching heat and dry soil this year could impact agriculture considerably.
Typically, January is the coldest month of the year but the mercury started rising this January.
If there’s no rain from March, summer could be severe. Such drastic changes are attributed to global climate changes and lead to more freak weather.
“The north-east monsoon in October, November and December was not adequate last year. There’s hardly any moisture in the soil. March, April and May are summer months but this year, it started from January itself.
While this could be good for mangoes and grapes, kharif crops will be affected. They need much more water from the soil,” said Prof. Rajegowda, agro-met department, GKVK. HOT AND DRY DAYS MAKE EARLY ENTRY Monsoon delayed yet again TIMES NEWS NETWORK
Bangalore: It’s only February and it’s already hot! One significant climate impact is the shift in the rain by 20 to 25 days. “This has been the trend since 1990. Monsoon is delayed by at least a fortnight,’’ he added.
Director of meteorological department A Muthuchami said: “February has always been dry and hot in the southern peninsula. Over the past 50 years, Bangalore’s temperature has risen by at least 1.5 degrees in winter and summer. This summer will be severe, hotter than last year.”
February is hot because of the clear sky and it’s usually cold at night. This rise in temperature may not be directly associated with climate change, but last year’s rain could be, according to Muthuchami. Last year, the state received 19.5 cm rain in February, while this year, so far it’s been nil.
The general feeling is this summer could be one of the hottest in the past two or three decades.