Tamil Nadu

March blows hot and cold

CHENNAI: The month of March came as a surprise to city residents who expected the beginning of hot days, with its maximum day temperature well within normal range during most of the days and rainfall on some days.

The highest maximum temperature recorded in the city last month was 34 degrees Celsius on Sunday, which was above normal by one degree Celsius. The highest temperature at Meenambakkam was 34 degrees Celsius on March 10.

A Meteorological Department official said the highest maximum temperature recorded in the past decade in March since 1998 was 37.1 degree Celsius in 2006.

Several residents in the city said that though the days were warm during early March, the nights were chilly, forcing several motorists to wear warm clothes.

The minimum temperature had dipped to 20 degrees Celsius in Nungambakkam and 19 degrees Celsius on Meenambakkam in March as against the average minimum temperature of 23 degree Celsius.

The official said the temperature would drop below its minimum range during the days with clear sky. Such temperature would vary depending on the weather condition of the particular day.

According to the Meteorological website, Meenambakkam recorded 194 mm of rainfall and Nungambakkam received 165 mm of rainfall between March 1 and April 1. The average rainfall received during the period is 3.7 mm. The official said the normal rainfall during a particular period was arrived with the average of three decades of rainfall between 1950 and 1980. He said it was an exceptional rainfall for the month of March. However, the climate conditions for the summer months cannot be predicted on a long-term as it depended on daily weather pattern.

“We have even had cyclones during May in the past years,” he added.

Meanwhile, sugarcane juice stalls and roadside shops selling fruits salads are making brisk business, indicative of the approaching summer season.

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