Skymet weather

Punjab the coldest amongst plains post Hudhud

Amritsar-punjab-indiaCyclone Hudhud may have stayed away from North India including Punjab, but it has brought the much needed respite from high temperatures. While the day temperatures are taking a dip gradually, nights are becoming cooler as October advances.

The low pressure area covered Chhattisgarh, parts of U.P. and M.P. that resulted in incursion of moisture over parts of northwest India including Delhi, Haryana, Uttarakhand and Punjab. Moreover, the strong western disturbance over Pakistan that led to snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and heavy rains in Himachal Pradesh also resulted in an increase in moisture over the region.
The proximity to these systems has enabled day temperatures to decrease by a whopping 7-8 degrees in Punjab and night temperatures marginally, giving rise to cooler days and nights and making Punjab the coldest among all plains including Delhi, Haryana and East Rajasthan.

Chandigarh was cool with maximum temperature of 25.2 degrees, seven degrees below average. The minimum was 16.6ºC on Wednesday.

Amritsar recorded night temperature of 13.4ºC yesterday, while Kapurthala observed minimum temperature of 12.8 ºC yesterday.

The temperatures in Punjab were the lowest as compared to cities in other plains. While Jaipur and Jaisalmer observed minimums of lower 20s, Ambala, Karnal and Delhi observed minimums above 15 ºC.

However, the spell is not expected to sustain for long since both the systems – low pressure area and western disturbance have moved away.

 

Hudhud’s Onslaught: Himalayan blizzard kills 21 trekkers in Nepal

trekThe spectacular Himalayan Mountains in Nepal are again in news but this time for the perils of enthusiastic trekkers. Aftermath of Cyclone Hudhud has impacted the peak trekking season in Nepal as a series of avalanches, landslides, heavy downpour coupled with snowstorm in Nepal has killed 24 people, including an Indian.

Severe weather triggered by the tail end of Cyclone Hudhud, which battered neighbouring India's east coast on 12th October, hit trekking groups on the Annapurna circuit as well as mountaineers trying to scale the avalanche-prone Mount Dhaulagiri in central Nepal.

After battering the states of Andhra Pradesh an Odisha on Sunday, the severe cyclonic storm Hudhud moved further towards Chhattisgarh, Bihar and Uttar Pradesh. As the system weakened, it resulted in heavy rain in Chhattisgarh, east Uttar Pradesh and east Madhya Pradesh. As the system recurved further, it broke down, triggered heavy rain and snowstorm in parts of Nepal after hitting the foothills of Bihar and hilly region of Nepal.

The cyclone also sparked heavy downpours in other parts of central and western Nepal, including district of Masang and Mustang.

Search is still on 

Rain has hampered the search of more than 100 others who have remained out of contact. People are missing and it is feared the toll could rise.

 

Maximums drop in North India in view of rain and cloud

rain CroppedThe weather in North India continues to remain the same with light to moderate rain being observed in some parts, especially in Uttarakhand. The Western Disturbance has been causing rain in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh as well but the intensity and spread is limited. Maximum temperatures too have been dropping in the region due to rains and clouds.

In the last 24 hours from 8.30 am on Tuesday, Mukteshwar recorded 66.4 mm of rain, Tehri 47 mm, Nainital 40 mm, Pantnagar 40.6 mm, Pithoragarh 35.2 mm and Dehradun 14 mm of rain.

In Himachal Pradesh, Shimla recorded 3.9 mm of rain, Kullu 4.8 mm and Solan 5.8 mm. Light rain was also observed in Jammu and Kashmir with Srinagar witnessing 4 mm of rain, Gulmarg 7 mm and Banihal 4 mm.

This has lead to drop in maximum temperatures in the region by a whopping 7-8 degrees. Minimums have however, remained close to normal as clouding have kept them in check. It is to be noted that clouding leads to drop in maximums, while minimums observe a marginal rise.

Here are maximums observed in some of the places in North India. Starting with Jammu and Kashmir, Gulmarg recorded 10.4°C as the maximum temperature on Tuesday, which is 4 degrees below normal. Srinagar recorded 19.2°C as the maximum, which is 3 degrees below normal.

In Himachal Pradesh, Chamba saw maximum settle 8 degrees below normal at 23.6°C. Kalpa was 7 degrees below normal at 11.4°C. Manali witnessed a maximum of 13.8°C, which is a whopping 9 degrees below normal.

Down in the plains, Amritsar in Punjab saw the maximum settle 8 degrees below normal at 24.8°C. Patiala recorded 24.6°C, which is 7 degrees below normal, while Ludhiana settled 6 degrees below normal at 27.2°C.

Ambala in Haryana was also cold at 24°C, which is 8 degrees below normal. Hisar was 7 degrees below normal at 28.4°C.

However, rain is going to become minimal in next 24 hours. Clouds will give way to clear skies and maximums will start rising. Minimums will drop making the nights even colder.

 

Good weather in Mumbai expected during 16th Film Festival

The Chnadan Cinema at Versova in Mumbai exuded glamour and aura as a high-profile contingent of Bollywood stars kick-started the 16th Mumbai Film Festival (MFF) on October 14, 2014.

Till October 21, one could get to watch the best of world cinema from 65 countries including Germany, France, Australia, Egypt and Poland. This extravagant festival will go on for 192 hours spread over 8 days at 3 venues in Mumbai. The festival will end with David Ayer’s Fury, starring Brad Pitt and Shia LeBeouf.

Bollywood actress Aishwarya Rai Bachchan officiated the festival and was visibly privileged to have been given the honour.  She said to the media, "Kudos to the team and everybody who has made this happen. I knew what was going on and what it took to keep the flag going. I am experiencing the conviction, belief, faith they had to keep this festival going. I take such pride and such an honour to be standing here today and declaring 16th Mumbai Film festival open."

Helen and Catherine Deneuve were the other guests of honour at the opening ceremony, who were given lifetime achievement awards.

Weather conditions in the city of dreams

In the last 15 days, Mumbai experienced only one spell of 5 mm rain on October 8. Weather has been dry since then with day temperatures shooting up to mid-thirties. With presence of high humidity, afternoons could be extremely uncomfortable in Mumbai. Strong sea breeze setting in by evening hours will be the relieving factor for people visiting the festival.

Registration

One can easily register by visiting the official website, www.mumbaifilmfest.org or visit Cinemax Versova to register on the spot. A valid identity card is all you need to carry; delegate pass for students are priced at Rs 1,000 and for other it’s Rs 1,500.

Unseasonal heavy rain in east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar

Bihar_Rains CroppedCyclone Hudhud, after battering coastal Andhra Pradesh and Odisha on October 13, weakened into a depression on Tuesday and was stationed in northeast Madhya Pradesh, north Chhattisgarh and adjoining Uttar Pradesh, giving some heavy rain in the region. Currently, the cyclone has turned into a low pressure area – almost becoming insignificant - and is moving eastward.

But before it lost steam, Bihar and east Uttar Pradesh bore the brunt of cyclone Hudhud in form of strong winds and heavy rain. Gorakhpur in east Uttar Pradesh recorded 115 mm of rain in last 24 hours from 8.30 am on Tuesday. This is the highest rainfall recorded in the city during the month of October in a decade. The previous high was 97.1 mm, recorded on October 15, 2013.

Some other places in Uttar Pradesh too have received heavy rain. Bahraich recorded 46.6 mm of rain, Shahjahanpur 29.6 mm, Hardoi 28 mm, Sultanpur 25 mm, Kanpur 21.6 mm and Lucknow 19.8 mm of rain.

The situation in Bihar was similar to that in east Uttar Pradesh. According to the data available with Skymet Meteorology division in India, Motihari recorded a whopping 191 mm of rain in last 24 hours from 8.30 am on Tuesday. Muzaffarpur received 25 mm Supaul 21 mm and Purnea 19 mm of rain. Siwan also recorded 42 mm of rain on Monday.

These heavy rains and strong winds in the region have caused damage to standing crops ready for harvesting. According to Ramesh Shukla, an agriculturist in Bihar, tracts of paddy fields in West Champaran and East Champaran districts have been flattened. Fields have become waterlogged and may take time before it drains completely, delaying harvesting in the region. Many tree plantations have also been uprooted. Rakesh Chaubey, another farmer from Bihar says he was pinning his hopes on good harvest but the sudden heavy rain and winds in the area has ruined it. Farming is the mainstay for these people who don't have any other thing to fall upon whenever a weather activity like this happens.

However, the good news is that rain is going to reduce and become minimal tomorrow.

Picture courtesy: Indianexpress







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