Bengaluru turns up the heat as monsoon weakens: Report

Between August 10 and August 15, Bengaluru experienced a rise in temperature from a maximum of 28.5 degrees Celsius to 31 degrees Celsius, according to The Hindu. After a period of rain and cooler weather since July, many residents have felt a return to summer-like heat and humidity. Officials from the India Meteorological Department (IMD) in Bengaluru attributed the temperature increase to a weakening monsoon.
“The intensity of rainfall has reduced in the last few days. In the last 15 days, there has been no heavy rainfall. There is only one system in the Arabian Sea, which is a cyclonic circulation extending up to 4.5 kilometres above mean sea level. We have no systems over coastal Karnataka and, hence, rainfall has reduced,” C S Patil, Director, IMD Bengaluru, told the publication.
Patil also noted that urban factors contribute to the heat. “Due to vast area, concrete roads and huge buildings, air does not retain its coolness in Bengaluru. When rainfall ceases for one or two days, the temperature rises very quickly here,” Patil added, as quoted in the report.
The forecast predicts that temperatures in Bengaluru will remain between 31 degrees Celsius and 32 degrees Celsius over the next few days. The agency has forecast light rainfall in Bengaluru city in the next four to five days, Patil said.
“Monsoon is weak in most parts of Karnataka. Some light to moderate widespread rainfall is expected in south interior Karnataka and coastal Karnataka in the next few days. We have sounded a yellow alert in Dakshina Kannada, Udupi, Chamarajanagar, Kodagu and Chikkamagaluru districts,” Patil further stated.
Rainfall intensity is expected to increase with the withdrawal of the southwest monsoon, anticipated by October 15. The arrival of the northeast monsoon should bring significant rainfall to various parts of Karnataka, including Bengaluru, in October, the report noted.