As the mercury continues to soar, citizens of Bengaluru experienced the hottest February day it has seen in a decade on February 25, with the maximum temperature being 35.5 degrees Celsius, which was a deviation of 3.6 degrees above the normal temperature.

There has been no rainfall for many days now in Bangalore, and soil moisture is very less in Karnataka. And also, there is also no system over this region which is bringing rainfall, and therefore the temperature has risen,” said C S Patil, the director-in-charge for the Indian Meteorological Department in Bengaluru.

However, Bengalureans may not get respite from the heat anytime soon, as the temperatures will persist this week. On Tuesday, the temperature in the city was around 34 degrees.

Speaking to the New Indian Express, Director-in-Charge Geeta Agnihotri said, “We have seen a few spells of hot weather this February, even before the onset of summer, which is generally declared from March 1. Several issues, including rapid urbanisation, can be the cause of these weather patterns”.

Reports say that the highest temperature for a day in February was 35.9 degrees Celsius on February 17, 2005.

However, not just Bengaluru, but Karnataka state as a whole has to brace itself for a hot summer. Speaking to TNM earlier, officials of the Met department said that with no predicted rainfall, the heat will continue.

“The IMD is going to come up with its official outlook next week, but with temperatures in all districts and neighbouring states being above normal, we are expecting a hotter than usual summer,” Sunil M Gavaskar, the meteorologist at the Karnataka State Natural Disaster Monitoring Centre told TNM.

“Presently due to increased humidity and no rains, people in the entire coastal belt and neighbouring areas will feel more uncomfortable compared to the northern districts despite comparatively low temperatures,” he added.