Ooty: Sizzling September In Cool Nilgiris Hills
The night temperature here also was hovering around 13 to 14 degree Celsius: Reports
OOTY: Despite the good autumn showers in the early part of September, the weather turned out to be unusually hot towards end-September here in this hill town as it has been recording rise in temperature which is more than normal for September here.
While the southwest monsoon rainfall, which always would help cool the hills, was deficit this year, the showers in the first two weeks of September brought relief to the hills. However, in a sudden twist in the weather pattern, for which the hills of the Nilgiris is known, the rise in temperature and the scorching heat that causes discomfort to the hill residents came as a shock as late September is generally known for moderately warm, enjoyable day temperature and cold nights, preparing the hills for the winter season.
Though the hills here recorded up to 24 degree Celsius in a couple of days this month, which is much above the temperature by hill standards, for the past couple of days, the temperature hovers around 22.5 to 23 degree Celsius which is nearly 3 degrees more than the normal day temperature for the hills in September.
The night temperature here also was hovering around 13 to 14 degree Celsius which is 2.70 degree Celsius more than the normal night temperature in the hills here in September.
M. Kumaravel, field officer at the CPR Environmental Education Centre here, said the rise in temperature in the Nilgiris in September was due to the El Nino impact which changed the weather and temperature pattern in the hills since last April.
“It is really perplexing that the September weather made the hill residents open the windows in the early night and even shun the thick woollen blankets as the heat wave in September began to cause discomfort. If the northeast monsoon that would generally commence from the first week of October, brings the normal rainfall, then the hill temperature will return to normal,” he added.