Bengaluru, 8 Feb

Mercury levels in the City witnessed a two-degree Celsius spike compared to the same time last year. While it was 30.4 degrees Celsius on the first week of February 2023, it has risen to 31.9 degrees on the same week of February this year.

According to Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), it is likely to get cooler in the coming days. According to IMD official A Prasad, similar conditions were seen last year as well. He told Salar News, "Compared to last year, this year’s temperature is a bit high, but this will not continue for a long time.”

He attributed the heat to El Nino effect, a climatic condition of the warming of the Pacific Ocean which pushes the temperatures up due to global warming. El Niño can cause drought conditions in India and Australia, which can impact crop productivity. It can even weaken monsoon winds and cause dry weather in India. While February was supposed to be a winter month, the El Nino effect is making temperatures rise

“The average rainfall in February 2023 was 7mm but due to the north westerlies, it has decreased to a vast numbers of 5mm this February This can trigger a chain reaction by making summer harsher than the previous year,” he added.

He also claimed that rapid urbanisation is another cause for the rise in temperature, along with cutting of trees for construction works. The rise in greenhouse gases and pollution are responsible as well. There are reports about a possible heat wave in coastal Karnataka in March.