Coimbatore: District truly lived up to its reputation of being a poor man’s Ooty on Wednesday when it recorded a maximum temperature of 24.5C. It was also the coldest day in July that the district has experienced in at least nine years.
Weather experts, meanwhile, attributed the pleasant climate to heavy rain lashing the city accompanied by high wind velocity. Cool temperatures are likely to continue for another two days at least.
Many residents, who were planning a weekend getaway to the Nilgiris to enjoy cool weather, were pleasantly surprised when they began experiencing a similar weather in the city from Tuesday. While the city recorded a temperature of 26.2C on Tuesday, the temperature further fell by almost 2C a day later. As a result, people, who usually step out during the monsoon with just an umbrella, were seen with sweaters, shawls and jackets.
“This is the weather we remember the district having in the 70s and 80s and maybe a few years in the 90s too,” said G Vijayalakshmi, a regular walker in Sai Baba Colony. “Nowadays, 24C and 26C are maximum temperatures recorded in Ooty.”
Experts with Tamil Nadu Agriculture University’s Agro Climate Research Station said they didn’t have any data showing a colder day in July, since 2010. “According to the data available with us, we have not seen a colder day in July or a lower maximum temperature recorded in the month at least since 2010,” said the station director, S Paneerselvam. “However, in 2009, when the average temperature dipped to 29.9C compared to the average temperature of 31C, which we usually see, we suspect that the temperature may have dipped to the mid-twenties range,” he added.
The cool temperature is likely to continue for another two days, weather experts said. “With the heavy rainfall and wind likely to continue till Friday, temperatures too are likely to stay cool with minimal humidity,” Paneerselvam said.
At 90mm, the district has also recorded the highest amount of rainfall in the first 45 days of the southwest monsoon in seven years. From May 29, when the southwest monsoon set in, the district has received 90mm rainfall till Wednesday.
The last time the district received more rainfall was in 2011, when it received 128mm rainfall, with 93mm recorded in July alone. “In general, we are enjoying a good monsoon as there are constant surface temperature variations in the Arabian Sea. These variations are causing strong depressions to form and bring us heavy rainfall. This depression is also not moving away, so we are enjoying good rain,” Paneerselvam said, adding, “Wind velocity is also likely to touch 18kmph on Thursday, before moving back to 15kmph.”
