Days after the warning issued by the MeT department which suggested that 2018 was likely to be the hottest recorded year for Kerala, Palakkad on Saturday recorded a temperature of 41 degree Celsius this year.
According to the MeT officials the temperature recorded this summer in Palakkad is three degrees more than the temperature recorded during the same time last year, in the district.
The weather forecast for Palakkad on Saturday was 41 degree Celsius maximum, while the minimum was 20 degree Celsius. Meanwhile, neighbouring areas of Palakkad like Malampuzha-II, Pudussery, Pirayiri, Mathur, Kannadi and Thenkurissi recorded 40 degree Celsius on Saturday.
Reports also state that Palakkad on Friday had recorded 39 degree Celsius. State Action Plan on Climatic Change (SAPCC) had listed Palakkad as one of the climate change hotspots in the state.
According to reports, Palakkad has been experiencing a bitter rise in temperatures during summer accompanied with acute shortage of drinking water. The situation has only been worsened with most of the water resources drying up including the Bharatapuzha river.
India Meteorological Department (IMD) officials had earlier warned that the year 2018 was most likely going to be the warmest year on record for Kerala.
Officials also warned that average temperatures over many of the subdivisions in northwest and neighbouring central India are likely to be above normal by one degree Celsius, while the southern states will see temperatures go up by 0.5 to 1 degree Celsius.
The state government had issued a warning already about the same and also issued a directive to change the shift timings for workers to 3pm-12am or 5pm-7am, so as to avoid working during the day.
The Health Department also issued warnings of a possible outbreak of disease and asked people to take precautions to keep themselves from falling sick during the summer.