Thiruvananthapuram: The mercury levels in Kerala are expected to rise further in the coming days if the prevailing weather conditions persist, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
IMD has forecast scanty rainfall for the next few days in the state. “Moreover, there will be sparse clouds, causing intense sunlight to fall on land,” said IMD director K Santhosh.
Similarly, the spring equinox will take place on March 21, when the duration of the day and that of the night will be equal. During this period, the southern parts of India will experience severe heat. The days that follow will witness the daytime getting longer and the nighttime shorter.
At the same time, atmospheric temperatures could fall if a sea breeze blows to the land. As February is normally a dry month, the mercury levels could come down if cool winds from the sea mix with the hot air on land. However, the wind currently blowing in Kerala is arriving from the northern parts of the country and blocking the cool breeze from the sea.
“The dry and hot winds from the North along with the cloudless sky have led to the high temperatures,” said the IMD official.
Referring to the El Nino phenomenon which causes the temperature to rise in the region near the Equator in the Pacific Ocean, the IMD director said that it has no impact on the weather in Kerala.
Meanwhile, the IMD has warned that temperatures are likely to touch 37 degrees Celsius in Ernakulam, Thrissur and Kannur districts on Tuesday and Wednesday. In Alappuzha, Kottayam and Kozhikode districts, there would be a rise of two to four degrees above normal and mercury levels could cross 36 degrees Celsius.
Regarding the faulty readings by the automatic regional weather observation stations set up across Kerala, IMD authorities said that the sensors of the equipment at these stations need repairs. “An external agency carries out maintenance of the equipment and we have alerted it about the issue,” said the officials.
Incidentally, even though the wrong data collected by the regional stations is displayed on the IMD’s website, the authorities do not depend on the information for official purposes.
