Bengaluru's summer scorcher: April the cruellest month

BENGALURU: The scorching Bengaluru summer of 2024 is rewriting its temperature records. Close on the heels of a near-record temperature of 37.6 degrees Celsius in the first and last week of April, the city breached 38 degrees Celsius on Saturday, for the first since 2016.
This apart, summer has set a new record for the most number of extreme hot days in a single month.

According to IMD officials, April 2024 saw 13 extreme hot days, surpassing the previous highest of 11 in April 2016. The IMD has also issued heatwave warnings for the next 5 days in several parts of the state.
Meteorologists at the IMD, Bengaluru confirmed to STOI that this is the first time that Bengaluru breached 38°C in 2024.
GS Patil, senior scientist at IMD, Bengaluru said, "This is unprecedented for the city. Previously, Kempegowda International Airport recorded 38.3 degrees Celsius in the first week of April. But today, Bengaluru for the first time since 2016 recorded 38 degrees and KIA recorded 38.1." The highest recorded maximum temperature for Bengaluru in April was 39.2 degrees in April 2016 followed by 38.3 in April 1931. Barring these, 2024 April has turned out to be the third hottest April.
Patil said that average temperature in April is around 34 degrees. "Today's temperature was four degrees higher than average, which is alarming. While factors such as changing land use patterns, lack of green cover, and reduced waterbodies have aggaravated the situation, the main contributor is El Nino effect and drought conditions. We have issued a 'heatwave' alert for next five days across north-interior Karnataka districts and a few south-interior Karnataka districts," he said.
Bear with heat for
next 10 days: IMD
Given the prevailing weather conditions and wind patterns across India, temperatures in Bengaluru may reach 39 degrees over next three to four days. It may cross 43-44 degrees in areas such as Raichur and Kalaburagi, he warned.