The mercury crossed the 40 degree Celsius mark in Chennai on Friday "ushering " in dog days of summer. A hot and sultry wind together with scorching heat made people stay indoors for most part of the day.
According to Meteorological Department of India, the next two-three days will see a dry westerly wind blowing across northern Tamil Nadu (including Chennai) making the days hotter. local doctors said on condition of anonymity that it is not advisable to visit Chennai for the next few weeks in the backdrop of the prevailing weather conditions.
"On Friday Chennai recorded 41.8 degree Celsius and the next two days will see the temperature going up by two to three degree Celsius," said Balachandran, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, Chennai. To put it bluntly, Chennai is in for worse times as the humidity in the metro is high and the weather is generally hot and sultry.
"Friday turned out to be a horrible day with the temperature remaining high throughout the day," said Jayanthi, a senior central government official. She said though the working hours were over by 5 pm, she was forced to remain indoor till 6.30 pm because of the hot weather. "We may be able to go out only after 7 pm because of the severe hot conditions," said Jayanthi.
This is for the first time in the last ten years that the mercury is crossing the 40 degree Celsius mark, according to Balachandran. "The last time we had 40 plus temperature in April was in 2006. In 2006 April we had experienced a temperature of 42.1degree Celsius," he said.
The month of May is known as the season of Agni Nakshathram (Nakshathram is Tamil for star) when temperature and heat peaks up. The elite class in Chennai leave for places like Nilgiris, Kodaikanal or the cooler European destinations depending on their economic status. "If the month of April is experiencing this kind of heat, we are scared to even think about the month of May," said Kattumannarkoil Kannan, a farming leader.