Skymet weather

Unprecedented 2010 Leh flood caused by an unusual easterly wind

New Delhi, The August 2010 flash flood in Leh that killed 193 persons along with severe damage that rendered hundreds missing and thousands homeless was caused by heavy rains for three consecutive days. The unusual rainfall is attributed to an easterly wind that transported clouds formed high over the Tibetan Plateau to Leh. These clouds also gathered moisture from the Arabian Sea, fed by the southwesterly winds and from the Bay of Bengal through southeasterly winds.

Usually, such a large storm system does not develop as cloud formation ceases during the night. But in this case, cloud formation was fueled by incoming moisture laden winds from three directions (easterly, southeasterly and southwesterly) throughout the night. Average total rainfall over Leh in August is about half-inch. But more than 8 inches of rain was recorded during this 24 hour period.

This event is reminiscent of flooding in the Big Thompson Canyon in Colorado in 1976 and the Black Hills of South Dakota in 1972. In all these cases, large organized clouds gathered high in the mountains and drew moisture up the slope of the mountain into the storms. The resulting heavy rains are uncommon in mountains, where there typically isn't enough moisture to cause such drastic rain. They are also more dangerous than storms in the plains.

Colder Diwali this year

New Delhi, The festival of lights, togetherness and happiness will become extremely pleasant and even more joyful this year for the people of Delhi&NCR due to a steep fall in temperatures. The day will be bright and sunny with clear skies at 29 ⁰C, while the night will be cold at 13⁰C. This is way lower than what it was last year in 2011. Last year’s temperature was warmer at 31⁰ maximum and 17.5 ⁰C  minimum. Besides, Diwali falling in the month of November this time as compared to October in 2011 cannot be mistaken for it being colder because the temperature on 13th of November in 2011 was also warmer at 30 and 15⁰C, maximum and minimum, respectively. Weather during a passing western disturbance becomes hotter which is the not the case this year. A significant WD has just crossed the Himalayan Subcontinent thus dropping the temperature.

But like every year Diwali is quite a troublesome time for people suffering from allergic reactions like asthma, etc. And the situation is no different this time either. The emphasis on a ‘Green Diwali’ too, will bring little or no relief from the high levels of smog on the D-day. Furthermore, the early morning fog, low wind speed, high moisture content combined with the smoke from the crackers will be irritable to eyes. Life is a festival only to the wise, and we say, only to the weather wise! So stay updated with the weather on festive days in your city and be safe.

Storms may bring widespread destruction in Kolkata

New Delhi, Just 180 km away from the Bay of Bengal, Kolkata is vulnerable to storms hitting the coast and a rise in the sea level. Kolkata has been enlisted as 20 endangered world cities due to the effect of climate change.

An old age drainage system, which just covers 50 percent of the historical city could amplify the sudden rain flooding and a sea level rise as a long term affect. Kolkata is situated near Sunderbans, the world's largest delta, and it has the third-biggest gross domestic product among Indian cities. The city is susceptible to flooding every year during the June-September rainy season. The 140-year-old drainage system in the former capital of British India is amongst the oldest in the country and was built enough to only cover half the city, as of now.

A business news website points out that civic infrastructure in the city is not geared enough to counter a devastating natural calamity. There, a natural calamity might be a storm like Aila, which had a major impact on Kolkata in 2007. Four other storms were also experienced in Kolkata during the year and researchers believe that there is nothing to suggest that such storms would not take place again.

Aila had hit Kolkata at a moderate 80 kmph but led to widespread blackouts for four days, uprooted 5,000-plus trees and killed 21 people. A similar storm could hit vital installations like power and water supply stations and areas close to the Ganga could be the worst affected.

Magnitude 6.6 earthquake hits Myanmar

Delhi, An earthquake measuring 6.6 on the Richter scale struck northern Myanmar today at 7:42 am. The epicenter of the quake was the town of Shwebo, about 117 km south of Myanmar second-largest city Mandalay. The quake has a depth of 10 kilometres. 5 persons have been reported to be killed in the earthquake, which also damaged an under construction bridge across River Irrawaddy in the town of Shwebo.

Several window panes of the parliament building in the capital Naypyitaw were broken. The tremors also affected the huge concrete gate of a monastery and several sculptures from another pagoda in the town. Other damage was reported in Mogok, a gem-mining area just east of the earthquake epicenter. Temples were damaged and ruby mining was abandoned by landslides caused by the quake in the area.

Rain wreaking havoc with heritage sites, monuments

New Delhi, The recent rain due to Cyclone Nilam has not only devastated standing crops but also proved detrimental for the historical monuments in the south. According to a senior Archeological Survey of India official, about 15 structures are in a precarious condition and their partial collapse in heavy rain cannot be ruled out.

Salu Mantap in the 15th century capital of the erstwhile Vijayanagar empire crumbled into a heap of ruins by the recent Cyclone Nilam. Rainfall in the past few years has damaged many monuments whose enclosure walls have developed cracks. Besides threatening the structures, the cracks are also posing threat to tourists visiting the heritage sites.

A portion of the western wall of Sri Achyutharaya temple complex, the enclosure wall of Lotus Mahal, the Doomed Gate wall and fencing wall of Gejjela Manatap on the banks of river Tunghabhadra had collapsed during the incessant rainfall in October 2009. During the subsequent year, portions of the Kudre Mantapa, the domed gate, the Janana enclosure wall and the ‘pushkarni' on Bazaar Street near Vittala temple collapsed.

In the last year’s rainfall, a portion of the protected Shiva temple at Hampi, popularly known as Varaha temple, collapsed. Some portions of the Ananthashayana, Pattabhirama, Vittala, Krishna and Virupaksha temples are said to be weak and rainfall in the area has further weakened the structures.

Maize output hit by deficient monsoon rain

New Delhi, The agriculture ministry has estimated the Maize output to go down marginally during 2012-13. The summer-sown Maize production is estimated at 14.89 million tonnes again last year's 16.22 million tonnes. The reason behind this shortfall is the deficient rainfall during the monsoon season. The summer-sown variety accounts for more than 80 per cent of India's total Maize output.

With this shortfall and increase in domestic demand, India may fall short by 40 percent in its annual Maize exports. India consumes 17-18 million tonnes of Maize annually, while harvests hover around 21 million tonnes. This year, domestic demand for Maize is expected to rise by 7-8 per cent. A growing preference for poultry-based food has also increased domestic consumption and prices of Maize, which is used in animal feed, making exports unattractive.

In the year ending September 30, 2012, the forecast exports are expected to fall to around 3 million tonnes as the agriculture ministry cuts its outlook for the crop due to a delay in the annual monsoon rain. Any decline in Indian exports would benefit Brazil and Argentina, reversing the 2011-12 scenario, when India's exports soared because the Maize crop in both countries, and the top supplier United States, were devastated by drought.

GUATEMALA ROCKED BY MAGNITUDE 7.4 QUAKE

Guatemala along with two other Central American countries Mexico and El Salvador were rocked by strong intensity earthquake of magnitude 7.4 at 10:35 a.m., on Wednesday. The Epicenter of the earthquake was 24 km off Pacific coast of Guatemala and it killed more than 50 people and also injured 150 others in coastal areas of Guatemala. The earthquake has been cited as strongest since 1976 when 23000 people were killed in a Magnitude 7.5 earthquake.
Tremors of 6.3 magnitude were also felt in west coast of Canada in an another earthquake on Wednesday night. No report of loss of life or damage to property has been reported as yet.

Ways to keep kids active during winters

New Delhi, When winters approach, it takes some creativity to keep kids active as the weather turns cold and it gets dark early. Here are some tips to keep your family and kids in high spirits throughout the winter.

  •  Use indoor facilities – visit an indoor pool or stadium where you can play indoors games
  •  Dance to burn calories – indulge you child in music and dancing as it is a great way to burn calories
  •  Go to the Mall – To keep family and kids warm walk down to the mall, prefer using stairs than escalators
  •  Involve them in cleaning activities – assign them home cleaning chores according to their age and abilities
  •  Go to the Library – visiting the library would give them a chance to read books or watch videos
  •  Visit a Zoo or a Farm – Zoos and farms are fun winter destinations for learning how life changes through the seasons. Kids can also learn how animals are taken care of during winter
  •  Admit kids in instructional group class – try dancing, gymnastics, martial arts, fencing,
  •  Indoor swimming lessons—anything that will get him or her excited about staying active

Gear up for winter driving

New Delhi, Even before the chilly winter could set in, haze and smog have enveloped Delhi in the last few days, while fog still continues in the early morning hours and visibility goes down to 400 meters. Traffic police department records show more than 500 road accidents in 2011 where almost 200 people lost their lives. To combat this situation, every year the traffic police department gears up to create awareness amongst the motorist about safe driving and precautions to take during foggy conditions but it seems like road hogs fail to follow them, especially in the perilous foggy months. This underscores just how dangerous winter driving can be.

November to March are seen to be the busiest months for road travel and highways are packed with holiday vacationers and foreign tourists even when the temperatures plunge and driving can be challenging. So next time you hit the road during adverse weather, consider these top safety tips to follow during your journey.

Slow down- This, always becomes your thumb rule on the road. Slowdown and reduce speed by 50% during a foggy night or early morning hours. If you are at a snowy destination, do not drive too slowly because your car needs momentum to drive through the snow. Keep a light touch on the controls as a smooth operation is the key to be safe on a slippery road. Avoid driving on roads where snow is melting.

Don’t forget the tires- You don’t forget to get your car serviced before a road trip but often forget to turn your attention to the tires. Cold weather reduces tire pressure, thus increasing the risk of accidents. Special snow tires can outperform any regular weather tires. Fog lights for your vehicles can help you in very low visibility conditions but switching them off when visibility has improved should not be forgotten as they dazzle other road users and could obscure your break lights.

Stop frequently - Winter driving can be way more fatiguing than the scorching summer, so stop every two hours for five to ten minutes to improve alertness and clean your windscreen of the fog, manually, both from the outside and inside.

Know your route and weather- Be weather wise and know the current weather development of your city or the city you are traveling to. Just keeping a map and knowing your route on a bad weather night is not enough, find out the road condition hotline numbers and call them up for any probable road closures ahead. They could also help you give info on the nearest fuel pump if you’re low on fuel.

“Every mile is two in winter”, therefore whether you head out for pleasure or work, knowledge, precaution and preparation will keep you guarded and buttoned in an inimical setting.

Weather forces EC to airlift EVMs, change counting location in HP

New Delhi, Suspecting loss of election data due to extreme conditions from Lahaul-Spiti district to Bhuntar town in Kullu district, the Election Commission has airlifted 89 electronic voting machines (EVMs).

The low temperatures may have affected the functioning of EVMs as the temperature in Keylong, where they were kept, has already dipped below freezing point. Keylong recorded the minimum of -1.1 degrees Celsius on Tuesday, which is expected to dip much further down to -15 degrees Celsius by 20 December, the date slated for counting votes. So, along with EVM airlifting, the site for vote counting has also been changed to Bhuntar instead of Keylong.

The minimum temperature would be below zero by several degrees. There was concern that in such climatic conditions, EVMs would not work properly or could lose the battery charge. In 2007 elections too, counting of votes had taken place outside the district for the same reason.

Unseasonal rain likely to affect near harvest crops

New Delhi, The delayed monsoon made sure that farmers in Jharkhand could not crop paddy on more than 50-60 percent of their regular paddy area and in many places cropping was less than 30 per cent. Nature once gain played spoilsport when harvest was to begin.

Cyclone associated rains brought unseasonal showers over the eastcentral part of the country including Jharkhand which is expected to loose 15-20 percent of the standing paddy in the fields. The heavy rains in the last few days will have adverse impact on standing paddy crop, especially those which were to be harvested within next few days. Rain has also affected the vegetable crops. The plants that were recently germinated have been harmed by this unseasonal rain.

Cyclonic rain has also affected early sown paddy crops in Andhra Pradesh and Orissa. East and West Godavari districts have been most affected. In upper Godavari, farmers have sown cotton instead of paddy due to delayed monsoon. But, the recent rain is expected to hit the cotton crops at a time when flowers in the crops have started blooming.

Good news for the farmers is that rain is expected to stop during the next 24 hours as the cyclonic formation is over. The sky will become clear at most places after this period.

Minimum Support Price (MSP) of the winter crop

New Delhi, The minimum support price for winter crops decided every year by the government was announced in the first week of November this year. It stated a hike in the support price from the next fiscal year, for four essential Rabi crops – mustard, masur, safflower and gram. The MSP of barley remained at the last year’s review price (Rs. 980 per quintal) in the revised chart. The government says this has been done due to a lavish oversupply of food grains in the market and they, thus want to shift focus to oil seeds and pulses now.

However, the decision on the MSP of the pivotal winter crop, wheat, has not been taken yet due to a consensus issue between the food and agricultural ministers. Officials dismissed it saying the latter needed more discussion and consultation. But if we go by the logic given for the barley crop and its “excessive supply”, wheat should also see no change in the MSP rate and stick to the last year’s review price.

The Cabinet Committee on Economic Affairs (CCEA) approved raising the minimum support price of masur to Rs. 2,900 per quintal and gram to Rs. 3,000 per quintal for 2013-14(April-March). This is one thousand rupees more for masur and two thousand rupees more for gram, as compared to the numbers decided by the committee in 2011-12. The MSP of oil seeds however saw a good increase as per the recommendations from the Commission for Agriculture Costs and Prices. Mustard and safflower rose to Rs. 3,000 and Rs. 2,800 respectively, both up from 2,500 per quintal in the review period. Officials say all these prices have been decided keeping in mind the rising inflation and other issues.







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