Bengaluru weather alert! IMD predicts strong winds, rains; temperature to cool down significantly

The Indian Meteorological Department said Bengaluru will receive moderate rainfall with strong winds and lightning on Wednesday. This would bring the city much-needed respite from high temperatures.

The city has been witnessing higher-than-normal temperatures of around 36 degrees Celsius during the day and 20 degrees during the night.

“Light rain likely to occur at isolated places over Udupi, Uttara Kannada, Dakshina Kannada, Belagavi, Dharwad, Gadag, Haveri, Kodagu, Hassan, Davanagere, Mysuru, Chikkamagaluru and Shivamogga districts,” the Met Department said in its press release.

The weather agency has also predicted that after the showers on Wednesday, the city's temperatures will significantly reduce to around 30 degrees Celsius.

Other cities of Karnataka are also likely to witness gusty winds of 40-450 kmph. These include Mysuru, Hassan, Shivamogga, Chikkamagaluru, and Chamarajanagar.

Some parts of Kodagu, Hassan, and Chikkamagaluru are also likely to experience rainfall on April 3.

India to see hotter-than-usual summers

The weather agency has also predicted that most parts of the country will experience hotter-than-usual weather through June, raising the risk of water shortages.

While AC makers have been ramping up their capacity to meet the higher demand expected this year, experts have signalled that the power network could be more stressed this year.

According to government estimates, peak power demand will rise to 270 gigawatts this year, beating last year's all-time high of 250 gigawatts.

IMD said that the maximum temperatures will likely be higher than normal in April too.

“We are not expecting El Nino conditions during the monsoon season. April- June to be hotter than usual, with more heatwave days likely in many states,” said IMD Director General Dr Mrutyunjay Mohapatra on Monday.

IMD heatwave forecast

IMD forecasts predict that Rajasthan, Gujarat, Haryana, Punjab, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and northern Karnataka and Tamil Nadu will experience more heatwave days in April- June.

Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, East Uttar Pradesh, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Telangana, Andhra Pradesh, and northern Karnataka have also been predicted to be heatwave-prone areas in April.

Heat waves were already recorded in Western India from March 10-15 and East-Central India from March 15-18, with above-normal heat wave days reported in Gujarat and Odisha.

IMD rain forecast

According to IMD data, all-India rainfall (20.1 mm) until March 31 was the 27th lowest since 1901 and the 10th lowest since 2001. Southern Peninsular India recorded 20.7 mm of rainfall, ranking as the 24th highest since 1901 and the 8th highest since 2001.

(With agency inputs)