Heat Build Up Over South Peninsula, Early Pre Monsoon Likely

Signs of early pre-monsoon are quite visible for most parts of the South Peninsula. Typically, March to May is considered the pre-monsoon months for South India, wherein heat builds up progressively as the season advances. Most parts of the northern plains continue to witness the transition from winter to spring during the month of March. Even North India is warming up at a faster pace than normal. The interiors of Peninsular India have started facing the early onslaught of hot summer.

The western disturbances across the mountains have been frequent but remained mostly weak. The seasonal anticyclone has been pushed far to the east and south of its normal position. As such, an anticyclone is an area of high pressure, leading to subsidence of air, resulting in warming in the lower layers of the atmosphere. These conditions are likely to persist and the searing heat is unlikely to abate soon.

The worst affected pockets include parts of Maharashtra, Telangana, Rayalaseema and North interior Karnataka. The day temperatures in excess of 36°C have been recorded at Akola, Washim, Bramhapuri, Sholapur, Gulbarga, Bhadrachalam, Kurnool and Nandigama. The countrywide highest temperature of 37.3°C was recorded at Kurnool. This city has been recording temperatures of 36°-37°C for the last about 10 days. Hot weather conditions are likely to extend further and cover more areas of these states over the next week or so. Looks like the thick pre-monsoon conditions are likely to grip most parts of the interior South Peninsula rather early in the season. A beginning has already been made and the mercury is likely to climb further in the second fortnight of February 2025.