Short warm spell: Bengaluru gets breather, chill to return from Jan 5 | Bengaluru News
Bengaluru: Bengaluru experienced a brief respite from winter Saturday, with night temperatures rising sharply from 12°C a few days ago to 17.4°C. While some residents worry this indicates an early summer, scientists from India Meteorological Department (IMD) assure that the warming trend is temporary, with colder conditions expected to return in the next 2 – 3 weeks.IMD attributed the rise in temperatures to easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal, which brought cloud cover and moisture. “Cloudy weather acts like a shield, trapping heat radiated from the Earth, similar to a greenhouse effect. As a result, nights feel warmer than they did a few days ago,” explained CS Patil, an IMD Bengaluru scientist.An IMD release highlighted the prevailing systems: an upper-air cyclonic circulation over the Bay of Bengal, a trough extending to the Tamil Nadu coast, and another impacting coastal Karnataka. “These systems led to overcast conditions, resulting in warmer nights and largely dry weather,” an official stated.While Bengaluru and parts of south interior Karnataka enjoy milder nights, central and northern districts continue to face sharp cold and dense fog late at night and early morning. Mysuru, Mandya, and Chamarajanagar even experienced isolated rainfall over the past two days.Winter is expected to persist until the end of Jan, said Patil. “Night temperatures in Bengaluru will dip again after Jan 5 or 6. By then, cold-wave conditions are likely in north interior Karnataka and will gradually extend south, including Bengaluru. The chill will ease from the first week of Feb.” ——Sanjana Rao
