Capital city Bengaluru continues to observe prolonged dry and hot spells, this season. The city received its last sprinkle during the opening days of January and was quiet thereafter. Though January and February are the least rainy months, March does receive consolatory showers. The monthly average of 14.7mm, nearly went to waste this season and the dry spell still haunts the city and suburbs. There is a little hope, still far on the horizon, to get first pre-monsoon showers, sometime next week.
The temperature has been soaring and the maximum of 37.2°C was recorded yesterday. This is the highest temperature of this year, so far. Both, the maximum and minimum temperature was about 3°C above the normal, leading to hot days and warm nights. These mercury levels are likely to be retained for the next week or so.
Around this time of the year, oscillation of the pre-monsoon Peninsular India north-south oriented trough becomes the main source of weather activity. However, this feature has remained inactive so far. South Interior Karnataka, hosting the capital city of Bangalore has maintained a rainfall deficit of 98%, between 01st March and 02nd April. It means, practically no rain. April has a normal rainfall of 61.7mm and rises further in the subsequent months.
Pre pre-monsoon Peninsular India trough is mostly activated with moisture incursion from the Bay of Bengal, through streaming easterly winds. Also, feeble weather systems moving across the equatorial region keep triggering rain-bearing cloud clusters over extreme southern parts of the Peninsula. The absence of both these factors has prolonged the dry spell, resulting disparaging water situation for the region in general and Silicon City in particular. Activation of the trough is likely around midweek next. Conciliatory showers for the city and suburbs are expected around that time. Activity will be mild to start with but still good enough to make a decent beginning.
Image credit: jagran