Winter of biting cold: FACING the CHILL

• Elders and children must keep themselves warm 
• Take out all your warm clothes and cover your head and ears 
• Asthma patients must avoid morning walk due to mist and fog
• Commuters must use fog lights in the morning to avoid accidents

Mysuru: The city will remain under the grip of cold conditions, with the atmosphere recording a minimum temperature of 14 to 16 degrees Celsius  since the last three days. The chill will remain till Shivaratri with the minimum temperature set to fall to 9 or 10 degrees Celsius in January, when the cold season peaks. 

The low-level cloud cover is also blocking the sunlight from reaching earth. The cold conditions are likely to persist in the coming days after which the intensity may begin to decrease. Mercury will continue its downward spiral thanks to climatic change. There is increased moisture in the weather and the moisture released from the earth is not evaporated, causing it to permeate in low levels. The wind, in turn, carries the moisture to spread the cold. 

Speaking to Star of Mysore, Dr. C. Govindaraju, Professor, Extension Education Unit, Organic Farming Research Station at Naganahalli (OFRSN), said that this year there was less rains during North-West Monsoon while the South-West Monsoon extended till August, September and October, coupled with many cyclonic rains. 

“As such, the backwater of Krishna Raja Sagar (KRS) has remained constant with increased inflow and the Reservoir has maintained the level of 124 ft, 123 ft and 121 ft with a balanced inflow and outflow. Here too, water is not evaporating due to absence of sunlight and heat and the moisture is staying in the atmosphere and in turn spread by wind. This atmospheric moisture is spread up to 40 kilometres covering Mysuru, Mandya, Srirangapatna, K.R. Nagar Hunsur, Nanjangud and parts of H.D. Kote,” he explained. 

This is the reason why Mysuru is colder than Bengaluru and frequent travellers experience the difference in atmosphere. Also, it is colder in the regions adjacent to KRS backwaters like Srirangapatna, Naguvinahalli, Kadakola, Meenakshipura, Kannambadi, Hosa Kannambadi and other surrounding villages. 

“There is no doubt that temperature will further dip. The present maximum temperature is hovering between 27.7 degrees Celsius and 28.2 degrees Celsius and the minimum temperature is between 17.1 degrees Celsius and 14 degrees Celsius. It will come down further and touch 9 degrees Celsius or 10 degrees Celsius as January approaches,” Govindaraju estimates. 

While children and elders have to keep themselves warm as they are prone to illness during this winter chill, vehicle drivers must be careful as there will be fog early in the morning. Asthma patients must avoid morning walks and if walking is inevitable, they can do it in the evening. Cattle will be affected by foot-and-mouth disease and precautions along with medication must be taken.