Rising temperatures have been the topic of conversation for Bangaloreans these past two weeks. With weather apps on smartphones pegging Tuesday’s high at up to 38 degrees, many people groaned that it was the beginning of an unusually harsh summer.
However, data collected by the Meteorological Department shows that the temperature rise in 2014 over the previous years has been marginal at best.
IMD says Tuesday’s maximum was 35.8 degrees Celsius. According to IMD officials, on the same date last year, it was 35 degrees. In 2011 and 2012, temperatures were in the 33-34 degree range. However, rains came to the rescue in 2013 and 2012 and the IMD expects similar relief this time too. “Due to high temperature, there may be a good spell of showers in the second week of this month,” an official said.
Discrepancies in data from different sources are also adding to the confusion. Accuweather, a for-profit weather forecasting company with a free app for most phones, said on Tuesday that the temperature climbed to 38 degrees. The same figure was given by Yahoo Weather and Weather.com. However, others like BBC and Skymet provided forecasts closer to IMD figures. “There is a difference in forecasts made by companies who have no sensors on the ground. They make predictions while we record observations,” said Jatin Singh, CEO, Skymet.
Kaushik Chatterjee, a software professional, said, “I use the Accuweather app and it said today’s high was 38 degrees. It does feel like it’s hotter everyday.”
Thankfully relief in the form of rain may not be far away.