Gear up to fight kathiri onslaught

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With the ‘peak’ summer season (kathiri) starting Friday, the temperature is expected to stay on the higher side till the end of this month.

While the normal maximum temperature in May is 36.4 degree Celsius, statistics show that the temperature has always been on the higher side of it.

While the highest maximum temperature reached last year on May 8 was 41.7 degree Celsius, the all time record was 45 degree Celsius recorded on May 31, 2003.

“We don’t expect anything new this month. Temperature will go up which is normal for this season,” said Regional Meteorological Centre’s Area Cyclone.

Warning Centre director Dr S.R. Ramanan, adding that the delay in onset of sea breeze would lead to dog days this summer.

However, he said even one small patch of cloud could dramatically change the weather pattern.

He noted that weathermen do not expect summer showers in the city at least in the next few days, despite some rain experienced in peripheral areas in Tiruvallur district on Wednesday.

When asked about ‘agni natchathiram,’ Dr Ramanan said, it has no relation to meteorology. “It is just a correlation that occurs in the month of May,” he added.

Meanwhile, in the afternoons, the city roads are getting slowly deserted. “Due to scorching heat, we prefer to meet our clients in the evenings rather than moving around in two-wheelers in the afternoons,” said Vignesh Kumar, a medical representative.

Similarly, the homemakers and senior citizens too prefer to leave home only when the heat recedes.

Roadside vendors make merry during summer and sell butter milk, porridge and fruit juices. “People from all walks of life buy from us and we have seen a drastic rise in sales this week,” said S. Ravikumar, a vendor.