Winter to be warmer than normal: IMD

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, November 29

The winter is expected to be warmer than normal this season, the India Meteorological Department has said. The upcoming winter season (December to February) is likely to experience warmer than average minimum temperatures over most parts of the country except over northernmost parts of India, thus indicating a warmer winter season over the country, the weather office said in a statement today.

There has been a notable warming trend in the past few years. In fact, 2018 was recorded as sixth warmest year in India since the IMD commenced keeping nation-wide records of weather events in 1901.

In its latest seasonal outlook for December to February, the IMD said there was relatively higher probability of above “normal” minimum temperatures from December 2019 to February 2020. Overall average mean temperatures are likely to be higher than normal by 0.5°C. In central and peninsular India, minimum temperatures could be 1°C or more than normal.

The relative rise in temperatures would be most evident in the core cold-wave zone. There is relatively higher probability for above normal minimum temperatures in CW zone that covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Telangana and met subdivisions of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh, Marathawada, Vidharbha, Saurashtra and Madhya Maharashtra.