Bengaluru finds itself in the throes of unusually warm February

February recorded an average temperature of 31 degrees Celsius

This heatwave has been attributed to the influence of El Niño

Bengaluru finds itself in the throes of an unusually warm February, marked by an average temperature of 31 degrees Celsius. This uncharacteristic heatwave has been attributed to the influence of El Niño, a climate phenomenon characterized by the abnormal warming of surface waters in the eastern equatorial Pacific Ocean, which typically leads to a suppression of monsoon rainfall.

While meteorologists point to El Niño as the driving force behind this warm spell, it’s worth noting that such conditions are not entirely unforeseen. Karnataka has been witnessing a trend of increasingly hot and dry summers, a pattern expected to persist. Over the last decade, Bengaluru has maintained an average high temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius, further underscoring the region’s susceptibility to rising temperatures.

In the past 24 hours alone, Bengaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 34.1 degrees Celsius, a significant departure from the norm by 4 degrees Celsius. Likewise, the minimum temperature surpassed the average by 2 degrees, standing at 18.4 degrees Celsius. Looking ahead, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasts that Bengaluru will continue to experience warmer weather, with maximum temperatures hovering around 33 degrees Celsius and minimums around 17 degrees Celsius over the coming week.

Meanwhile, Telangana is also feeling the effects of an early onset of summer, with temperatures steadily climbing. Notably, the absence of cold waves for the first time in five years indicates a departure from typical weather patterns. This departure from the seasonal norm underscores the region’s shifting climate dynamics.