Kerala Braces For Brutal Summer; Jump In Power Consumption: Report

According to the forecast by weather experts, the southern state of Kerala may face the hottest summer in 10 years caused by the rising temperature. The report notes the hot weather already in place even during the first week of February and cites the meteorological department’s prediction ruling out the possibility of an imminent rain in the state.

The state is witnessing soaring daytime temperatures along with high humidity, leaving people sweating. Kannur saw the highest temperature on Tuesday with a recorded temperature of 37.9 degrees Celsius while Thiruvananthapuram reported 36.2 degrees Celsius.

Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) senior scientist V K Mini said that the temperature has been hovering above normal, noting that it could also not be an indicator of a scorching summer. “Thiruvananthapuram city set a record for January when the mercury touched 36.2 degrees Celsius on January 27. Minicoy in Lakshadweep set a record with 33.9 degrees Celsius on January 3, which is one degree higher than the previous record for the month,” she added.

Furthermore, the experts attribute the rising temperature to EI Nino, a climate pattern that leads to unusual warming of Ocean waters which can impact atmospheric temperature. The EI Nino is currently at its peak and hence the temperature may rise when the warm ocean releases excess heat into the atmosphere.

Predicting that the next few weeks would be warmer with high heat in the plains, S Abhilash, director of Advanced Centre for Atmospheric Radar Research, Cusat said that the wind pattern induced by El Nino is unfavourable and the temperature has been soaring globally. “The sea surface temperature of the southeast Arabian Sea, close to the Kerala coast, has risen by 1 to 1.5 degrees Celsius, which can be one of the reasons contributing to the hot conditions prevailing in Kerala. But we can’t say it is an indicator of a drought. According to experts, El Nino will wane by April. So, there is no chance of it adversely affecting the monsoon,” he added.

However, the rising heat has also caused the Kerala State Electricity Board (KSEB) to purchase an additional 9 million units (MU) per day. As people started to use air conditioners, coolers and fans excessively, power consumption had soared in the state.