Hot, hotter, hottest, 37 degree Celsius and rising

Bengaluru: The city, which saw mercury levels climb to 36.5 degrees Celsius on Thursday, the highest for 2014,  could get even hotter, warn weathermen.  Temporary relief could, however, come from evening rains forecast for the next two days.

With the minimum temperature hovering around 24 degrees Celsius, Bengalureans are having to put with hotter than usual  nights as well. “Both the maximum and minimum temperatures are two degrees above the normal in the city,” notes Mr B Puttanna, director of the IMD, Bengaluru, however, adding that this is the not the hottest the city has been.

“The highest temperature ever recorded in Bengaluru was 38.3 degrees Celsius on April 30, 1931  and in April  2010 it saw the temperature touch 37 degrees," he recalls, dismissing the readings of thermometers and online weather systems which have put the city temperature at 38 degrees Celsius over the last two days as inaccurate.

"The IMD readings are final. The smaller equipment give erratic temperatures due to poor quality sensors," he explains.

Offering some solace, he says rains could lower temperatures over the next two days. "The rains could cool the  city for a short duration. But once the rains are gone, you can expect the temperature to rise again," he warns.