Summer revisited even as winter sets in

Hyderabad: It is uncommon for people in the twin cities to experience sweating in October, but that is just what one experiences these days. The winter is about to set in, but the humidity levels and the heat are getting onto peoples’ nerves.

K Naga Ratna, a scientist at the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), said, “This is a transition phase change of monsoon. The retreating is going on, and the monsoon is coming back. Hardly any low pressure system has been forming in Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea. The winds are blowing mainly from northeast or northwest direction, and that is why the heat is increasing and temperatures are on the rise.”

The maximum temperature in 2003 for October month was 32.1 degrees, whereas this year, the highest temperature recorded in October is 35.7 degrees C with rise in humidity in the city. Also in September 2016, the temperature was 32 degrees C and the maximum temperature in September this year was 35.7 degrees C. There is a drastic change in the temperature this year, she said. According to the information from two different datasets covering the period from 2003 to 2018 October, there is a rise in the temperature every decade.

The reason for the increasing temperature in the monsoon season is that when there is no moisture, the atmosphere dries up, and naturally, when there are no rains in a period of two to three days, the temperature also rises with humidity. This temperature shoots up when the atmosphere gets dry and when there is less humidity, Ratna said. The temperature in the atmosphere increases with time, which is why, temperature is high this year monsoon, she added.