Mercury rising: City records hottest March in 2 decades

Coimbatore: The district experienced the hottest March in more than 20 years. On March 29, a maximum of 39.5C was registered in the city, which was last recoded in 1996.
April is also expected to set a new record as no summer rain has been predicted this year.

39.5C recorded on March 29 was alarmingly close to the record high of 40.8C on March 29,1983. “There are good chances of temperatures touching 40C in April,” said Mahesh Palawat, meteorologist at Skymet Weather Services. “This is because there are no summer rain or excess wind blowing in the western regions to plug the increase in temperature,” he told TOI.

Weather experts said summer rain is yet to hit the district because easterly winds are continuing to blow across the district. “These are usually high temperature winds originating from land,” said Pradeep John, blogger at Tamil Nadu Weatherman. “Moist winds from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal are yet to start blowing in. The troughs being formed in the centre of the country are also bringing rains only to Andhra Pradesh and Kerala. There is a chance to move further south over the next week and bring rains to Tamil Nadu after April 16 or 17,” said Palawat.

However, the increase in temperatures does not indicate climate change, the experts said. “The same high temperature was recorded in March 26, 1996. Higher temperatures were recorded through the 90s and in 83. It is a normal phenomenon. A point few degrees on either side is not alarming and does not mean anything,” said John.

The sweltering heat is forcing Coimbatorians to stay doors from 12pm to 4pm. “I avoid stepping out to meet clients in the afternoon. Even if business is lesser, health is more important. Too much exposure to heat causes migraines,” said Sundesh Saravanan, a marketing professional. “More people are hiring cabs and autorickshaws instead of using two-wheelers between 11.30am and 4pm to keep away from sun and heat.”