BENGALURU: Winter has arrived this December, but it seems to be felt only during the night as daytime temperatures remain to be high. In fact, there was huge difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures on Friday.
The maximum temperature is hovering around 30 degrees C while the minimum remains around 14 degrees C.
Experts say this is a man-made situation arising out of overuse of vehicles, high-rise building, deforestation, etc.
Srinivas Reddy, Director, Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC) the maximum temperature recorded on Wednesday was 32 degrees C in Bengaluru. However, the maximum temperature came down to 26 degrees C on Thursday, while it crept back to 30 degrees C on Friday. The temperatures across the state are quite similar, he added.
“This December, the maximum temperature will go up to 30 degrees and minimum will be 14 degrees, which are both extremes when compared to normal temperatures during December,” said Reddy.
Sundar M Metri, Director, India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru said, normally, it does not rain during winter. “This is because there will be no warmer air that will hold moisture content. But this time, as the cyclone in southwest Bay of Bengal has weakened into a deep depression, there will be some rain in south interior Karnataka, including Bengaluru. This is the reason for a decrease in temperature during day time.”
Health and environment experts say this difference in maximum and minimum temperature will affect ecological balance and also have an impact on human health.
Dr Rajani M, Deputy Director, Health Department, said normally during winter, there will be no outbreaks of ilnesses. However, any change in weather, rain, humidity or temperature will lead to a spurt in cases of viral fever.
Environmentalist A N Yellappa
Reddy attributed this extreme temperature difference to man-made destruction. “High emissions from vehicles, plastic burning and other reasons have resulted in the formation of heat islands in the
atmosphere. Whenever sun rays penetrate such areas, more heat is generated which eventually causes extreme heat,” he said.
“This year, there has hardly been any fog or mist in the mornings. This change in temperature will cause adverse effect on bio-diversity,’’ he added.