HYDERABAD: Did you wake up this morning and wondered if Hyderabad had turned into a perfect hill station overnight? In fact, it was not just in the city that people witnessed a wintery day unlike ever before; cold weather welcomed denizens in various parts of the State. People were seen in their winter clothes even in the afternoons, a rarity in the State.
With daytime temperatures dropping by 2-7 degree Celsius below normal across the State and fog remaining suspended almost throughout the day, even the afternoon felt like a winter dawn. Interestingly, the sudden change in weather came as a surprise to most as the last few days were hot and dry.
Across most parts of Telangana, the maximum temperature had dipped to 21-26 degree Celsius on Monday.
In the Greater Hyderabad region, the maximum temperature recorded was between 23-27 degree Celsius, according to the Telangana State Development Planning Society (TSDPS), even though, just a day ago the maximum temperature in city was between 26-32 degree Celsius. By dusk, the temperatures had dropped to 17-21 degree Celsius in different parts of the city.
Why sudden change?
When contacted, meteorologists from India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad, pointed out that there were three factors that together to caused the drop in temperature — the recent rains in city, the winter season, and the cyclone Phethai, that had a landfall in Andhra Pradesh on Monday.
Dr K Naga Ratna, head of forecasting division at IMD Hyderabad informed that the outer bands of Phethai had touched the eastern borders of Telangana on Sunday night, causing heavy rains in some parts and also drop in temperatures. She said that the temperatures came down on Monday morning under its influence.
The minimum temperatures which remained 1-3 degree Celsius above normal on Monday are also expected to drop below normal on Tuesday due to the cyclone.
Cool days won’t last forever...
Here is some bad news for those who were revelling in the cold weather. Dr Naga Ratna pointed out that the cyclone Phethai will weaken into a deep depression by early morning on Tuesday and will further dip into a lower pressure the very same day. As a result, by Tuesday afternoon the temperatures will be on the rise once again in Telangana. By Wednesday, it will go back to the normal or above normal day-time temperatures. As per the IMD Hyderabad forecast, light to moderate rains or thundershowers are likely to occur in isolated places on Tuesday and dry weather will prevail from Wednesday.