Meteorological Department forecasts above
normal March to May temperatures over some parts of the country
New Delhi,
March 01. The India Meteorological Department has forecast that the March
to May season averaged temperatures are likely to be above normal over the
southern part of west coast and some areas in north-west and north-east India.
In its first
report on seasonal outlook for temperatures during hot season (for the period
from March to May) released here today, the country’s apex weather agency said
Uttarakhand could be the worst off.
In the Himalayan state, while the season averaged mean and the minimum temperatures are likely to be 0.5 degree Celsius to one degree Celsius above normal, the season averaged maximum temperature is likely to be worse, at more than one degree Celsius above normal.
Uttarakhand
could be followed by Himachal Pradesh, West Rajasthan, coastal Karnataka,
Kerala and Arunachal Pradesh. Here, the situation could be better than the
hilly State but not as good as compared to the rest of the country. In these
States, all the three parameters – season averaged mean, maximum and minimum
temperatures are likely to be 0.5 degree Celsius to one degree Celsius above
normal.
It could be
a mixed bag in Konkan and Goa. In this region on the west coast, the season
averaged maximum temperatures are likely to be 0.5 degree Celsius to one degree
Celsius above normal. However, the season averaged mean and minimum
temperatures would be near normal.
Reverse situation
in Saurashtra, Tamil and coastal Andhra Pradesh
The situation could be reverse in Saurashtra, Tamil and coastal Andhra Pradesh. In these areas, the season averaged minimum temperatures are likely to be 0.5 degree Celsius to one degree Celsius above normal, while season averaged mean and maximum temperatures are likely to be near normal.
The report
on the seasonal outlook has also noted that this year there may not be much
change in the number of heat wave spells in the core heat wave zone, which
covers Punjab, Delhi, Haryana, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat,
Chattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telengana, besides
Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, and Rajasthan.
Additional
Director General of IMD and Head of Services, Dr. M.Mahapatra, said the
meteorological sub-divisions in the region witness an average of about five heat
wave episodes during the three months. Similar number of episodes is likely
this year also. IMD declares heat wave
conditions whenever the temperatures go five degrees above normal or whenever
the temperatures cross 42 degrees Celsius irrespective of the departure from
the mean.
Speaking to
India Science Wire, IMD Director General, K.J.Ramesh, said an updated outlook
will be issued next month for the period from April to June. IMD has been
issuing seasonal forecast outlook for sub-division scale temperatures over the
country for both hot and cold weather seasons since 2016.
By
Sunderarajan Padmanabhan (India Science Wire)
