Summer isn’t here yet, but the heat is rising

Summer isn’t here yet, but the heat is rising

TIMES NEWS NETWORK

Chennai:14.03.2021 

The past few days had been dry, hot and glaringly bright though the mercury reading has hardly been different. But in a week’s time, that may change. Weathermen said temperatures may rise beyond 35 degrees C or 36 degrees C after equinox on March 20.

For the next 48 hours, though, Chennai and the rest of the state may experience the same dry and hot weather.The IMD has forecast temperatures to hover at 33 degrees C maximum and 24 degrees C minimum in the city and the suburbs for the next 48 hours. The skies may be partly cloudy during the afternoon and clear thereafter. This, meteorologists said was due to the dry easterlies flowing into the land making the days feel dry and hot as humidity drops due to lack of moisture in the air. This makes the sweat evaporate faster in the body which then feels the heat despite temperatures being not so high.

“Right now, you will feel the heat only when you step out. It is only when the temperature is about 37 degrees C, you will start feeling hot even when you are indoors,” N Puviarasan, director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, IMD, said earlier.

On Friday and Saturday, the maximum temperatures were 0.1 degrees C/0.2 degrees C below normal, but humidity was at 61% and 77% making the day shining bright and hot with clear skies.

Bloggers said the weather models indicate a spike in temperatures post the equinox, when the Sun crosses the equator, leaving length of day and night almost equal, and begins its journey to the northern hemisphere from the south. Blogger Pradeep John said temperatures may hover at 35 degrees C till March 21 and models indicate a rise to 38 degrees C in the past 10 days of this month in the city and the suburbs with certain times of the days experiencing hot land breeze or northwesterly winds.

“What we are seeing now is not summer. There could be a rise at month-end which is normal. South and southwestern TN may see mango showers or pre-monsoon showers in the last 10 days of the month,” he said. After a few days of light showers in some parts of southern districts, IMD has forecast dry weather to prevail across the state till March 17.