Bengaluru shivers at 9.6 degrees Celsius

Bengaluru: Get out your woollies and your mittens, people! Bengaluru was freezing at temperatures as low as 9.6 and 11.3 degrees Celsius, Saturday morning.  

As a cold wave swept across south-interior Karnataka, the minimum temperature fell to below 7 degrees Celsius on Friday morning, but warmed gradually, said the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).  

KSNDMC Director G.S. Srinivasa Reddy told Deccan Chronicle that the biting cold wind might continue for another week. "We are experiencing a drastic drop in temperatures, differences of as much as 3 to 5 degrees Celsius from the normal, due to cold winds blowing from North to South," he said.  

Commuters said that the fog hanging over the city, early in the morning was making driving difficult this last week. "You have to wear warm clothes if you are riding a two-wheeler.

Parks are completely deserted in the morning as severe cold has made it difficult to venture out of your homes," said Mr Abhinand G., a law consultant who stays at Hongasandra, Bommanahalli.

Saturday was a little better as many flights were not affected, the authorities said. On Friday, 42 flights were delayed and eight diverted and the Kempegowda International Airport (KIA) was forced to suspend operations for almost an hour because of foggy conditions and low visibility.