Zero rainfall in April makes Bengaluru go through the driest month since 1983: Report

In Bengaluru, this April is marked as the driest April in the last four decades, as the Indian Meteorological Observatory (IMD) in the city did not see any rains at all. The last time the city recorded zero rains in April was in 1983, said a report in Money Control.

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Speaking to the publication, the senior IMD scientist A Prasad said, “In the last 41 years, this is the first time for Bengaluru to not receive any rains in April. The El Nino condition, which is the reason for unusual heat, is likely to transform to neutral or zero, and we can expect La Nina condition, resulting in rains.”

The senior scientist also said that global warming, rapid urbanization, increase in population and El Nino as reasons for harsh climatic conditions in the tech capital.

Though slight rains were observed in parts of the city on April 19 and 20, they were not recorded in the city’s observatory.

On Sunday, 38.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in Bengaluru, which is said to be the second-highest temperature in the last five decades. Bengaluru’s highest April temperature record is yet to be broken, as the city recorded 39.2 degrees Celsius on April 25, 2016. This year, April 28 saw 38.5 degrees Celsius and April 27 saw 38 degrees Celsius, making the last month one of the hottest Aprils in the last few decades for Bengaluru.

The IMD, however, predicted rain in Bengaluru in the first week of May. Bengaluru Urban, Vijayapura, Hassan, Chitradurga, Raichur, Belagavi, Ballari, Davangere, Shivamogga, Tumkur, Bidar, Kalaburgi, Yadgir, Chikkamagaluru, Chamarajanagar, Ramanagara and Mandya districts are likely to see Showers between April 30 and May 3, according to IMD.