CHENNAI: After a brief relief from scorching heat over the past week due to intermittent rains, the city recorded the hottest day of the year on Monday. The weather stations at Meenambakkam and Nungambakkam recorded 39.2 degrees Celsius and 40.1 degrees Celsius respectively on Monday. Weathermen said this trend is likely to continue and temperatures will hover around 40 degrees Celsius over the next few days.
According to officials at the regional metrological centre, the average temperature for the day was recorded at 38.1 degrees Celsius for the city while it was 1.1 degree Celsius more in Nungambakkam. It could be due to reduced sea breeze caused by westerlies, said the officials.
Many places in the western suburbs like Porur and Ambattur registered 37-38 degrees even at 5.30 pm. The temperature is likely to remain high till the first week of June, said weather blogger Pradeep John.
The westerlies are strong and heat is pushed towards the coastal regions. The opposing wind along with off-shore winds will also make it hard for the sea breeze to come to the land. This increases the possibility of the city recording higher temperatures till the first week of June, he added.