Chennai: With Meenambakkam touching 36.1C on Saturday after a brief lull, warm breezes and rising humidity signalled the return of hot afternoons. And this could just be the beginning. While the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast day temperatures to touch 36C again on Sunday, bloggers said afternoons could turn hotter in early April, with suburbs likely to experience their first 40C of the year.“On Sunday, the city and the suburbs may experience dry weather. A partly cloudy sky may push temperatures to a maximum of 35-36C and a minimum of 25-26C,” an IMD bulletin said.Across the state, temperatures may rise 2 to 3 above normal on Sunday, before slipping back to normal on March 30 and 31.On Saturday, Nungambakkam recorded 34.5C, about a degree below normal, while Meenambakkam logged 36.2C, around 1.2 above normal. Humidity in Nungambakkam was 84% at 8.30am, dropping to 70% by 5.30pm, while Meenambakkam recorded 76%, falling to 64% in the evening, adding to discomfort. Vellore recorded a high of 39.8C.Meteorologists said the temperature rise is due to increasing daytime heating as the sun moves nearly overhead. At the same time, hot, dry inland winds dominate the mornings, while the cooling sea breeze from the Bay of Bengal arrives only later in the afternoon. With little cloud cover or rain during this pre-monsoon period, temperatures rise quickly and feel more oppressive due to humidity.Blogger Pradeep John said the weather could worsen in the coming days. “Between April 5 and 8, suburbs could breach 40C, with the core city inching closer. As of now, April 6 looks particularly hot,” he said.However, temperatures may fluctuate between 33C and 35C in the interim, as rainfall over interior areas could offer some relief.“There may be rainfall over districts closer to the Western Ghats and southern Tamil Nadu from April 1 or 2, with intensity increasing in the following days due to a trough extending from central India to the Comorin region.”“Chennai may not see rain, but temperatures may remain around 32–33C,” said Mahesh Palawat, chief meteorologist, Skymet Weather.
