Bengaluru shivers as mercury levels dip

BENGALURU:  With a sudden dip in temperature, Bengalureans experienced winter chills on Friday. The city recorded a maximum temperature of 21.6 degrees Celsius, which according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials, is the lowest maximum so far this year in the month of December. The difference in maximum and minimum temperatures was around 3 degrees Celsius. The minimum temperature recorded was 18.2 degrees Celsius.

Interestingly, around 5 pm, the temperature in Bengaluru was 18.4 degrees Celsius, which at that time was lower than in Chennai which recorded a temperature of 20 degrees Celsius. While Pune recorded 15 degrees Celsius, Ahmedabad experienced 18 degrees Celsius. In Kolkata, the temperature at that time was 19.4 degrees Celsius, Mumbai was 20.6 degrees Celcius and Hyderabad was 23.6 degrees Celsius.

According to IMD website, the temperature was 18.4 at city centre, at Bapujinagar it was 22.6, in Hebbal it was 20.4, in Hombegowda Nagar it was 21.1, in Jayanagar it was 22.1, on Silk Board Road it was 21.6 and at HAL it was 21.6 degrees Celsius. 

IMD officials said the dip in maximum temperature was due to the impact of cyclone Mandous. The IMD has forecast a further dip in temperatures, coupled with light rain and cloud cover for the next two days. 
As per IMD data, the highest temperature recorded in Bengaluru was 31.1 degrees Celsius on December 17, 2003 and the lowest minimum -- 8.9 degree Celsius -- was on December 29, 1883. 

The officials said that they were tabulating the data and checking records to ascertain if the temperature of Friday was the lowest maximum in the last decade. They said they were experiencing difficulty in weather assessment as the servers of the weather department have been facing technical glitches since a week.