BENGALURU: Bengaluru does not feel like an air-conditioned city anymore, point out weathermen, proving it through temperature figures. The city on Saturday recorded the maximum temperature of 34.3 degrees Celsius, while at the Kempegowda International Airport, it was 34.5 degrees Celsius.
As the summer has set in, temperatures in the Karnataka capital have been hovering around this range over the last three days. On Friday, the maximum temperature was 34 degrees Celsius, while on Thursday, it was 33.5. This is 1.5-2 degrees Celsius higher than the normal of 32.5 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has stated.
The minimum temperature too has been soaring. The IMD data showed that the city recorded the minimum temperature that was 2.6 degrees Celsius higher than normal. On Saturday morning, the city clocked 21.9 degrees Celsius, while KIA recorded 19 degrees Celsius, a deviation of 1.1 degree Celsius from the norm.
Bengaluru set for warm week ahead
The HAL Airport recorded 20.5 degrees Celsius, 2.5 degrees Celsius higher than the normal.
IMD officials cautioned that the city and most parts of Karnataka could see a further rise in temperatures by 1-2 degree Celsius for the next week. They have forecast dry weather and rising temperatures .
IMD Senior Scientist CS Patil said, “The temperatures will rise in the coming days, because of the prolonged dry spell and clear skies. There are also no rain systems forming and people will experience heat and dry weather. This year, it has also been forecast that the temperatures will be above normal and they are rising already.”
He said that though the rise in temperature is seasonal, it is also because of the increasing urban effect in Bengaluru. There are no shade spaces and the number of trees and water bodies is reducing in the city, leading to a rise in temperature, causing people to feel uncomfortable, he said.
The temperatures are going up in other parts of the state too already and some areas are expected to experience early heat wave conditions. Normally, temperatures start climbing from mid-March, but this year, it is ticking up early.
There will be some respite when thunderstorms occur, weathermen point out. IMD data showed that Bengaluru recorded 34.4 degrees Celsius on March 20, 2025 and 34.5 degrees Celsius on March 24, 2024. The highest temperatures were recorded in Ballari and Kalaburagi at 39.9 and 3 9 . 4 degrees Celsius, respectively.