Bengaluru: Southwest monsoon may be active on the calendar, but Bengaluru’s weather is telling a different story. Residents could be forgiven for checking their calendars to ascertain whether it is really July. Instead of cool breeze, cloudy skies, and intermittent showers, the city is witnessing blazing sunshine and rising temperatures, making the peak monsoon month feel suspiciously like summer.Bengaluru recorded a maximum temperature of 32.4 degrees Celsius Monday, making it the warmest July day in the city in the past five years. The mercury climbed even higher at HAL Airport and Kempegowda International Airport (KIA), with both recording 33 degrees Celsius.Accustomed to pulling out umbrellas and jackets during the monsoon months, Bengalureans are now battling sweltering afternoons and humid conditions. The absence of sustained monsoon rainfall and prolonged cloudy weather has robbed the city of its characteristic July chill, turning what should have been one of the most pleasant months of the year into a sizzling one.“The previous highest maximum temperature was recorded in July 2021, when it touched 32.7 degrees Celsius. This year, the temperature crossed the 32-degree mark Sunday before climbing further to 32.4 Monday. Going by the prevailing weather conditions, the mercury could touch 33 degrees Celsius over the next couple of days,” said CS Patil, scientist at India Meteorological Department (IMD), Bengaluru.Adding to the unusual weather conditions, parts of Rayalaseema in Andhra Pradesh, which borders the northeastern districts of Karnataka, have been experiencing heatwave conditions, according to an IMD release. Historically, Bengaluru’s maximum temperature during the monsoon month of July has hovered between 28 and 30 degrees Celsius.“Unlike the normal monsoon conditions witnessed in June, Bengaluru and its adjoining regions have recorded deficit rainfall. The monsoon gained momentum during the first week of July but suddenly turned sluggish over the past 3-4 days. This has triggered an unusual rise of 2-3 degrees Celsius in daytime temperatures,” Patil explained.Reduced cloud cover has further contributed to the spike in temperatures. Clear skies allow increased solar radiation to directly reach the earth’s surface, pushing up daytime temperatures despite July being a peak monsoon month.“The lack of cloud cover and sluggish monsoon activity are contributing to the unusually warm conditions. The prevailing clear skies are likely to continue through the week, keeping maximum temperatures across Bengaluru in the range of 32 to 33 degrees Celsius,” Patil added. With little immediate respite in sight, Bengaluru is set to continue experiencing unusually warm afternoons through the week, as the city’s typically cool and cloudy July increasingly resembles a summer month.
