No simmer: Summer spares TN with less heat, more rain
It is also expected that the long-period average rainfall may also be more this year, added officials.
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CHENNAI: Tamil Nadu is experiencing a distinctly different summer this year, with the State recording much lower number of heatwave days when compared to the normal situation, while the rainfall received during this monsoon has increased than average, said weather officials.
It is also expected that the long-period average rainfall may also be more this year, added officials.
Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC), Chennai, head B Amudha said that the number of heatwave days – when the mercury goes higher than 105.8 Fahrenheit or 41 degrees Celsius - in summer decreased this year compared to the last five years. At the same time, the average level of rainfall for this year has gone up much more than the usual range, she said.
According to data from the RMC, Vellore reported the most number of heatwave days, where the temperature crossed 104 degrees Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) on 16 days. The district was closely followed by Karur Paramathi, where the temperature was high on 10 days, Amudha said.
The highest temperature for the entire summer season in the State was recorded in Erode on May 15 when it reported 106.16 Fahrenheit (41.2 degrees Celsius). Other districts, including Vellore and Madurai, recorded a maximum temperature of 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) only on one or two days, she added quoting data.
In Chennai, the highest recorded temperature this summer was 104 Fahrenheit (40 degrees Celsius) only on a single day. On the other hand, the city also received 129 per cent rainfall when compared to the usual range, she said. According to her, the city received 12 cm of rainfall this summer.
With 25 cm rainfall as against the normal of 13 cm, Tamil Nadu recorded 97 per cent higher rainfall this summer, said the RMC head.
According to the forecast issued by the weather department, the long-period average (the rainfall recorded over a particular area for a given interval) for the State may go up to 110 per cent this year, while it would be 106 per cent of rainfall in the country, she said.
However, the rainfall level for north interior districts is likely to dip this June, and it will be in the normal range or above normal in other districts. Chennai may receive light to moderate rainfall for the next few days, Amudha added.
COOLER, WETTER SUMMER
106.16 Fahrenheit recorded at Erode on May 15 was the highest temperature this summer
Vellore recorded more than 104 degrees Fahrenheit on 16 days, followed by Karur Paramathi with 10 days
In Chennai, the mercury crossed this level only on a single day
The capital received 129 per cent rainfall when compared to the usual range
