Skymet weather

Western Disturbance to bring snow and rain in NW; low pressure area to consolidate in the Bay

New Delhi, The Western Disturbance over Jammu & Kashmir is following the predicted path and is expected to affect the northwest region during the next two days. The brewing low pressure area near the Andaman Sea in the Bay of Bengal has intensified and could become a well-marked low pressure area during the next 24 hours.

Yesterday's Western Disturbance over Pakistan and Afghanistan has arrived over Jammu and Kashmir and is expected to bring more snowfall during the next 48 hours. Rain or snow is likely at a few places in Jammu & Kashmir during the next 24 hours. More areas of Jammu & Kashmir would receive snowfall. One or two places could get heavy snowfall during this period.

Rain is also expected over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Snowfall is likely at a few places over Himachal Pradesh and at one or two places in Uttarakhand during the next 48 hours.

The Western Disturbance would also affect northwest plains as skies would become cloudy to partly cloudy over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh. One or two places in these areas could also experience rain or thundershowers during the next two days. Such weather conditions would help to increase the minimum temperatures.

But the severe cold weather could arrive to these parts after the exit of the Western Disturbance from the region after November 30. The cool winds from north would become colder as these winds would be coming in from areas where snowfall is expected to melt in 24 hours.

The minimum temperatures could fall by 2-3 degrees and the maximum temperature would also be slashed due to more sunshine and heat radiation as the sky will be mainly clear in the north. Fog is expected to increase after next two to three days over northern India.

Down in the Bay of Bengal near the Andaman Sea, the low pressure area that formed during the last 24 hours would intensify to become a well-marked low pressure zone during the next 24 hours. Under its influence, heavy rain is being expected in the Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the next 48 hours. In the southern Peninsula, the cyclonic circulation near south Tamil Nadu and Kerala continues to persist and will bring rain at one or two places during the next 24 hours.

Ten best Festivals in December

For all travel freaks, here’s a great opportunity to trek across the globe and witness the ten most famous festivals of winter in the month of December.

 

 

 

 

 

 

1) Starting with Guru Nanak Jayanti on November28, the birth anniversary of the first guru of the Sikhs, celebrated all over India, but with much pomp and show in Punjab. We advise to visit the magical Golden Temple of Amritsar.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

2) Konark Dance Festival:  Konark, a world heritage site, known for its majestic sun temple will hold a dance festival, featuring different traditional dance forms of India. The festivals will start from Dec 1st and last till the 5th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

3)  Burning of the Devil, Quema del Diablo (Dec7): Just before Christmas, Guatemalan’s perform a ritual of cleansing the household of the devil that lurks. Effigies of the devil and redundant objects are burnt in the form of a huge bonfire on the streets. This interesting ritual is quite a sight.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

4) Tansen Festival: Music lovers should head to Gwalior for the oldest music festival in the country. Festival dates are Dec14-17th

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

5)  Hanukah: The Israeli festival of lights is festival of faith celebrated from the Dec 8th-16th. Candles are representing each of the eight days.

 

 

 

 

 

 

6) Rann Utsav Kutch: A cultural extravaganza organized by Gujrat Tourism Department, held in various locations of Kutch starts from Dec 15th and goes on till the 31st of January 2013. The USP of this festival is dance and music performances on full moon nights.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

7)  Mevlana Festival, Turkey: The Whirling Dervishes festival celebrated in Konya, Turkey, commemorates the 13th death anniversary of the Sufi saint Mevlana or Rumi as he was known. It is a week-long festival that starts on Dec 10th.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

8 ) ‘Winterfest’ Boat Festival(Dec15th): Thousands flock to the banks of the New River to witness the brightly lit vessels that parade in the water symbolizing the exuberance of 20 zealous men who sailed on the same path in 1971. It is a unique aquatic extravaganza of its kind that most look forward to.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

9) Christmas: “A season of good cheer and joy all around”, the most awaited festival of Christmas is celebrated across the entire globe. We suggest not one destination for this since this is the time to see different celebrations worldwide.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

10)  Sunburn Festival, Goa:  Are you ready to get sunburnt! Visit Goa for the mystic beaches but for the biggest electronic music festival in India. This is a non-stop three-day music festival that takes place at Condolim beach every year on the 27th of December.

Have fun!

Christmas 2012 not so chilly

New Delhi, What would Christmas ever be without the biting cold! Entering into the month of December invites freezing temperatures. Without doubt, this chill adds to the thrill of ‘Dilli wallas’ as they prepare for parties, bonfires, the New Year bash and what not. And to prepare for such icy months well in time this year, our weather wise readers requested for an update on the Christmas weather.

So here goes, as oppose to last year when the temperature was recorded at 2.9⁰C on Christmas, the coldest of 2011, this winter looks not so cold. Temperatures will remain a few notches above normal and there is possibility of light rain in the Christmas week. Fog will be dense, commuters traveling to meet relatives or to their churches could face some trouble. Weather forecasters say that this year a trend of an increased frequency in the number of western disturbance is seen which is going to keep the temperatures a little higher than last year. Christmas might be a month ahead but it’s never too early to plan your holidays!

‘Temperature-Tolerant' Dairy Milk expected soon

New Delhi, Buzz is that Chocolate maker Cadbury has found a way to make a chocolate that does not melt in hot weather. The new bars of Dairy Milk stay completely solid even when exposed to temperatures of 40 degrees Celsius for more than three hours.

While standard chocolate has a melting point of 93°F, the new bars are ideal for warmer weather.

The firm insists that the new recipe will be available only in hot countries like India and Brazil.

The secret to the new bars is a change in the so-called ‘conching step’, where a container filled with metal beads grinds the ingredients, which usually include cocoa butter, vegetable oils, milk and sugar.

Cadbury has developed a way of breaking down sugar particles into smaller pieces, reducing how much fat covers them and making the bar more resistant to heat. So, come this summer, you could have a much more solid ‘meetha’ even in the scorching summer heat.

Calling their breakthrough ‘temperature-tolerant chocolate, scientists at Cadbury’s research and development plant in Bourneville, near Birmingham have set out the method for making it in an 8,000-word patent application.

Low pressure expected in the Bay; WD likely to affect Northwest

New Delhi, A low pressure area is expected to form in a couple of days over southeast Bay of Bengal. The Western Disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu & Kashmir now lies entirely over Jammu & Kashmir and would affect the hills and the plains of northwest during the next 48 hours.

Under the aegis of the Western Disturbance, snowfall activities will pick up during the next 24 hours and would impact Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. More places in Jammu & Kashmir and one or two places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will receive snow during the next two to three days.

Rain is also expected in northwest plains due to the weather system. Rain would occur at one or two places over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh after the next 24 hours. Party cloudy sky would be witnessed in the region during this period and northern areas could experience a marginal fall in the maximum temperatures.

This stay of Western Disturbance would also raise the minimum temperatures over northwest, east and central India by 2 to 3 degrees as it will stop flow of cooler winds from the north. The cold chill is likely to reduce over these regions during the next 72 hours. As of now, the Western Disturbance will move in an eastwards direction.

In the south, light rain is expected to continue over the southern extreme of Tamil Nadu and Kerala. A cyclonic circulation continues to persist over south Tamil Nadu and adjoining southwest Bay of Bengal off Sri Lanka coast.

But the main attention in the Bay is on the formation of a low pressure area over southeast Bay of Bengal during the next 48 hours. A cyclonic circulation is persisting over the Andaman Sea and it is making conditions favourbale for the birth of a low pressure area. The cyclonic circulation will bring rain over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the next 48 hours.

Dip in mercury continues across Rajasthan

New Delhi, Mercury continues to dip across Rajasthan due to the presence of a cyclonic circulation and prevalence of cool and dry northerly winds. Churu remained the coldest place in northwest plains as it recorded a minimum of 6.8 on Sunday, November 25.

Western Rajasthan that is already witnessing winter could experience drastic drop in temperatures during the coming week. Churu was followed by Pilani at 9.6 degrees Celsius, Sriganganagar 10.1, Jaisalmer 11.8, Chittorgarh 11.9, Bikaner 12.0, Udaipur 12.4, Jodhpur 12.5, Kota 14.4 and Barmer recorded a minimum temperature of 15.0 degrees Celsius.

Minimum temperature is around 12-13 degrees in Jaipur, the state capital and it is expected to go down to 9-10 degrees during the coming week. A significant fall in day temperatures was also recorded at many places in the state. Maximum temperature in Jaipur was below normal by 2 degrees at 29.5 degrees on Sunday.

Despite being a Sunday, the streets in Jaipur looked deserted, whereas, those who braved the chill and arrived at shopping malls and hang out joints were sporting woolens. Early morning mist is also bothering farmers as it is harmful for vegetable crops.

Climate change likely to double sweet Potato size in 100 years

Sweet Potato, an increasingly popular staple food in Asia and Africa is expected to grow as much as double of its size by the turn of the century, a research revealed. The research from Hope Jahren from the University of Hawaii at Manao and colleagues revealed that in a Carbon dioxide (CO2)concentration of 760 ppm ( parts per million), the sweet potato tubers - the fifth most important food crop in the developing world - grew up to 96 per cent larger.

According to The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) prediction, the atmospheric CO2 levels will be between 500 and 1000 ppm by the year 2100. The current level of Carbon Dioxide in the atmosphere is about 390 parts per million.

Researchers are now testing the effect of such high level of CO2 in the atmosphere on the nutrition of a food, which is increasingly becoming staple food as it has more edible energy per hectare per day than wheat, rice or cassava. The previous studies, crucially, revealed the protein content in wheat, rice, barley and potatoes dropped by 15 per cent when grown under CO2 levels double those of today.

Cool winds resume in north as WD weakens; easterlies to prevail along the east coast

New Delhi, The Western Disturbance over Jammu & Kashmir and adjacent areas has weakened that allowed cool and dry winds from central Asia to infiltrate the Indo-Gangetic plains where temperatures are expected to fall by another 2-3 degrees during the next 24 to 48 hours.

The chill is expected to prevail till another Western Disturbance (moist and relatively warm winds originating in the Mediterranean Sea and Atlantic Ocean) make an entry around November 28. The winds associated with the weather system generally bring moisture and clouds into the region and prevent severe cold winds from the Himalayas from affecting the plains up to some extent. So, any respite from cool winds or increase in the minimum temperatures can only be expected from Wednesday, November 28 onwards.

Snowfall or rain is likely to continue at one or two places over Jammu & Kashmir till then. It would pick-up again by November 28 onwards. Snowfall/rain at a few places over Himachal Pradesh and at one or two places over Uttarakhand is expected around that time.

However, remnants of the erstwhile Western Disturbance, which was moving eastwards after making an exit from east Jammu & Kashmir are affecting upper parts of northeastern states in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. Rain is expected at one or two places in these states during the next 24 hours.

Towards south, a weather system (cyclonic circulation) is persisting over the southern tip of the country near Kerala and Tamil Nadu. It is expected to give light rain in these places during the next 24 hours.

Meanwhile, another low pressure area is about to form over the Andaman Sea that will receive light to moderate rain during the next 24 hours. The weather system is expected to move in a northerly direction towards Myanmar. Due to no consequential weather system, easterlies are expected to resume and continue along the east coast during the next 24 to 48 hours.

Rain in the Peninsula; Boon or Bane!

New Delhi, A boon for some, a bane for others: the southern Peninsula received heavy rain at many places this year, not only because of the cyclone Nilam but also due to the recurring storm like conditions developing in the Bay of Bengal. ‘Boon’ because the farmers of Tamil Nadu got enough water for their Rabi crop which otherwise could not have been possible from the weak northeast monsoon this year. ‘Bane’ because heavy rain along with the gusty winds (90kmph) during Nilam, uprooted acres of crops and flooded many villages, also leaving many homeless.

This year after the cyclone, rain in Tamil Nadu was recorded at 315.1mm which is extremely close to the normal digits of 315.2mm. Whereas Andhra Pradesh recorded an overflow of rain at 407mm compared to the normal average figure of 279.8mm, 46% over normal levels. Thus the heavy spells from the cyclonic development that hammered south India helped in a way to compensate for the gap which could have been created otherwise due to a faint monsoon and helped the digits reach very close to the normal level of rain recorded in the past years. Though even then, some places experienced a deficit. Pondicherry recorded 160.4mm of rainfall which is -12% less than the normal level of 182.8mm every year.

Tirupati recording an unusual (139.7mm) amount of rain in one day on Nov 22-23 and more rain expected tomorrow has put the farmers in a dilemma once again. Scientists and agriculturists advise storing the already harvested crops in dry places, making ‘bunds’ for crops that are already transplanted, to prevent them from getting uprooted and to leave the crops that are ready for harvesting as they are. They can be harvested as soon as the rain abates, i.e. in 48 hours.

It is noticed that it’s the farmer that faces the brunt even though such conditions are being forecast. Instead of organizing relief camps or introducing farmers plans only after the anomaly has struck, the authorities need to plan better and take due action to prevent damages caused in such situations.

Potato sowing in WB delayed due to Cyclone 'Nilam' rain

New Delhi, Potato sowing is running late by over a fortnight in West Bengal due to untimely rain in October and early November. Sowing of Potato usually starts by this time of the year and ends by mid-December.

Rains were witnessed in these parts under the effect of the Cyclone 'Nilam' that kept the soil damp and skies cloudy at a time when Potato is supposed to be sown. The delay in harvesting of paddy on account of poor monsoon this year has also led to a delay in sowing of potatoes in the State.

The remunerative prices the tuber fetched this year is encouraging farmers to sow the crop this season despite the increase in input costs. Potato prices had been on an upward trend since February this year on account of a dip in production. Potato production dropped to about 85 lakh tones in 2011-12, against 95 lakh tones last year.

Heading for snowfall view in J&K, take a look at road ahead

New Delhi, The hills in Jammu and Kashmir are witnessing snowfall since mid-week and this is expected to continue during the weekend as well. So, it’s a great time to travel the region if you want to pick a snow fight. Here, we’re penned down a road map, which will help you to track snowfall and other weather conditions like minimum and maximum temperatures, rain, skies, etc. along the highway that will take you through the white mountains:

The National Highway N1 A, which is a part of north-south corridor and connects Srinagar with other parts of country, will be the main route to reach out to snowfall areas. Jammu will be the first destination or the point where you can halt to view the scenic valley and its snowfall.

So, the maximum and the minimum at Jammu would be around 20 and 10 degrees during the next two days. The temperatures would start falling as you reach higher altitudes. Rains would accompany you from the plains and turn into snow as you travel further up. Gulmarg, Pehalgam and the summer capital Srinagar are expected to receive snowfall along the way.  The maximum at Srinagar would fluctuate between 12 to 9 degrees till Sunday while the minimum would dip to zero on Saturday to again rise to 1 degree on Sunday. So, plan your trip, enjoy it and do tell us your experience in the comments section below.







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