Temperatures are Above Normal in Karnataka, Say Experts
Published: 25th February 2016
BENGALURU: The signs of a warm summer were already there. Between June and the first week of August last year, which is when monsoon usually peaks, rainfall was inadequate and the state recorded the longest dry spell in the last five decades. What followed was a short winter and the onset of summer in February.
Though there is a slight variation in the data provided by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC), both show that the temperatures in February this year in North-interior Karnataka have been classified as ‘Markedly Above Normal’. The term describes an observation that exceeds normal temperature by more than 5 degrees Celsius
Average temperatures in South-interior Karnataka, over the course of the past week, have been classified as ‘Appreciably Above Normal’, representing a variation of 3.1 to 5 degrees Celsius above normal.
While the high temperatures in North Karnataka have been aggravated by clear skies, in South-interior Karnataka and coastal regions, high humidity levels have added to the discomfort.
Dr G S Srinivas Reddy, Director of KSNDMC, told Express that the temperatures recorded this month were ‘abnormal’. “Generally, temperature starts to increase during the last week of March or early April. This year, the temperatures have soared earlier,” he said.
Data Disparity
Due to the differences in the number of observation points between IMD and KSNDMC, temperature readings of the two agencies have variations. While IMD collects data at the district level, KSNDMC records readings at the hobli level.
For instance, as per IMD, maximum temperature recorded in Raichur in February was 40.5 degrees Celsius on February 28, 1998. The maximum temperature this month was 36.3 degree Celsius.
However, readings by KSNDMC show that Jalihalli hobli in Raichur district recorded the maximum temperature of 42.1 degrees Celsius on Wednesday.
KSNDMC scientist, SSM Gavaskar, said, “Winter recedes only after Shivarathri festival, which is during the first week of March. There are a few days left for Shivarathi but the temperatures have already soared. Summer temperatures have been uncharacteristically high in the past three to four years,” he added.
http://www.newindianexpress.com/cities/bengaluru/Temperatures-are-Above-Normal-in-Karnataka-Say-Experts/2016/02/25/article3295398.ece
Just how hot is it? No one is sure
MYSURU, February 23, 2016
The maximum daytime temperature recorded in Mysuru by various agencies on Sunday showed huge variations from each other.
So much so that the maximum temperature recorded at the weather observatory at the University of Agricultural Sciences’ (UAS) Organic Farming Research Station at Nagenahalli near here was seven degrees less than the temperature recorded by the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre (KSNDMC).
What is more, the temperature recorded by the weather station at the Central Sericultural Research and Training Institute (CSR&TI), which provides data to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), too was different from both these readings.
So how did this happen? B. Puttanna, retired director of IMD, Bengaluru, told The Hindu that the instruments used for recording temperature have to be calibrated by IMD if the reading is to be considered correct. “Most agencies, including government-run ones, do not have their instruments inspected and calibrated by IMD experts If the instruments are not in proper condition, they do not show correct readings,” he said. He dismissed the KSNDMC instruments as not calibrated by IMD.
However, KSNDMC director Srinivas Reddy said their instruments are state-of-the-art automatic weather sensors that record temperature and share the readings in real time. “We record temperature every 15 minutes,” he said.
When asked about the difference in readings, Dr. Reddy said the centre deploys instruments for recording temperature and rainfall in every hobli of the district, unlike other agencies which have one station or so in every district. “We consider the highest recording from among all the instruments in the entire district as the maximum temperature,” he said.
He also claimed that IMD, which barely has stations in 12 to 13 districts in the State, relies on instruments belonging to other agencies. “For instance, in the Cauvery region, IMD has only 60 stations while KSNDMC has 1,418 stations,” Dr. Reddy said.
Max temperature in Mysuru (Feb. 21)
31.6 degrees Celsius: Observatory, Organic Farming Research Station, Nagenahalli
34.8 degrees Celsius: CSR&TI (Indian Meteorological Department)
38.9 degrees Celsius: Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/karnataka/just-how-hot-is-it-no-one-is-sure/article8270321.ece
