Skymet weather

Fog conditions to continue over northwest: cold waves penetrate central, western Peninsula

Fog cover is likely to stay over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, west Uttar Pradesh, north Rajasthan and northwest Madhya Pradesh during the next two days. Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat and Maharashtra will see a fall in minimum temperatures of up to 4°C in the next 48 hours. Rise in maximum temperatures is expected over Indo-Gangetic plains.

Fog cover assisted by low minimum temperatures, slow winds and left over moisture of the recently passed Western Disturbance will continue for next two days. The minimum temperatures are in the range of 4 to 5°C and most importantly they are close or below the dew point (temperature at which condensation takes place) which forms clouds on the ground (Fog). Very dense fog with a visibility as low as 50m or below is expected in some parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh.

Day temperatures in these plains are breaking the past records, as foggy conditions are not letting the surface heat-up properly by obstructing the suns rays. Same conditions are likely to persist during the next 48 hours as the maximum temperatures will remain the same in this period.

Meanwhile, northerly cool winds are now reaching up to central and western parts of the country. So the minimum temperatures are expected to fall over Maharashtra, Gujarat and Madhya Pradesh. A considerable fall up to 5°C is expected over these regions during the next 48 hours. Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat are already witnessing cold waves.

In the southern Peninsula, the cyclonic circulation over Lakshadweep would give rain over Kerala and Lakshadweep while the low pressure area in the central Bay of Bengal will give rain at a few places over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands. One or two places in Tamil Nadu will get showers. Rain will increase over south Tamil Nadu after the next 48 hours.

 

Weather may spoilsport 2nd ODI between India, Pakistan

Weather in Kolkata may play spoilsport during the India and Pakistan one day international match at Eden Gardens. Weather conditions indicate rain during the first session of the match, which is scheduled to start at 12:00pm. Conditions are already favourable for dew that might play an important role in the second session of the day & night match.

Rain is likely to start early morning tomorrow and will continue till 5pm and could hamper first few hours of the match. Rain, which continues throughout the day, could also make ground conditions tough. The sky will remain overcast during the daytime and would become partly cloudy during the evening hours.

The maximum temperature will be around 26 degrees while the minimum temperatures would be around 18 degrees. The temperature during the match will be between 23 to 19 degrees. The humidity level would be around 78 to 96 % during the match.

The winds over 'city of Joy' Kolkata will be northerly, northeasterly and easterly while the match goes on. The weather had already taken its toll on the first one day international at Chennai as rain made playing conditions difficult under an overcast sky.

Record breaking cold in Shimla

With night temperature registering below 0°C during the last few days, the weather in Shimla has turned severe. The summer capital of Himachal Pradesh, Shimla is reeling under a record low minimum temperature compared to last five years. Shimla has not seen minimum temperatures dropping below zero °C in the last five years during the first few days of January. Skymet expects these severe cold conditions to continue over Shimla for next one week with minimums dropping further.

Snowfall and rain is expected over Shimla from January 4 onwards which will continue for another 24 hours thereafter. The minimum temperature in Shimla is around -2°C. It may rise a bit or remain stagnant during the next two days due to the stay of Western Disturbance only to find more severe cold conditions to return on January 6.

The minimum temperature will again drop below 0°C around January 6 as northerly winds will be more cold. Such conditions may prevail till another Western Disturbance does not appear in Jammu & Kashmir to stop the northerlies.

The minimum temperatures on January 2 in 2007 was 3°C, in 2008 it was 3.5°C. It was around 4°C in 2009 and 2010. The minimum temperature on January 2 in 2011 was 1°C while it was 4 °C in 2012.

 

Photograph by vinodbahal

Weather in major airports of India on 3 January, 2013

The weather in Delhi airport is under siege with fog. Fog in Delhi airport has increased in the last 24 hours leading to disruption in flight operations and it would continue to reduce visibility to stop flight take offs and arrivals during the next 24 hours as well. Here is an update for weather in Indian airports for the next 24 hours.

Dense to very dense fog

Indira Gandhi International airport New Delhi
Flight operations could be hit due to dense to very dense fog in Delhi airport. Dense fog with very dense during 4 to 8 am will keep flight arrival and departures on hold. The visibility level may drop below 50 meters during the next 24 hours.

Sri Guru Ram Dass jee International airport, Amritsar
Flight operations will remain hindered under dense to very dense fog over Amritsar. Winds are slow, moisture content is between 90-100 percent and minimum temperature is also below normal.

Shallow to moderate fog

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata
Shallow to moderate foggy conditions would be witnessed over Kolkata during the next 24 hours but as visibility is good, flight operations will be unaffected.

Lal Bahadur Shashtri Airport, Varanasi
Shallow to moderate fog is expected at Varanasi airport, but flight arrivals and departures are less likely to get affected.

Chaudhary Charan Singh International airport, Lucknow
Shallow fog is expected in Lucknow airport during the next 24 hours but disruption in flight operations is not foreseen at this time.

Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan airport, Patna
Shallow fog is likely over Patna but flight operations will be on time

No Fog

Bangaluru International airport, Bangalore
The airport will remain fog free during the next 24 hours, thus arrivals and departures will be smooth.

Cold wave to persist over north India; rain to increase in extreme south

Cold wave conditions will continue over north India during the next two days. Day temperatures would continue to be below normal with foggy conditions during this period. Snowfall and rain is expected over Jammu & Kashmir during the next 48 hours. Maximum temperatures would fall by 2 to 4°C over Indo-Gangetic plains during the next 48 hours. Rain will increase over extreme southern parts of the country during this period.

The cold wave-like conditions would continue to persist over northwest, east and central India during the next 48 hours. Icy winds will be witnessed as the Western Disturbance that stops them has moved away. These winds would keep the minimum temperatures around 5°C or below over northwest plains.

Snowfall and rain would again occur over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand from January 3 onwards. Cloudy to partly cloudy sky will be witnessed in these states during the next 48 hours.

A fresh Western Disturbance is expected to arrive over Jammu & Kashmir tomorrow that will again help stabilize the temperatures but severe cold conditions may grip north India after its exits by January 5. The Western Disturbance is prevailing over north Pakistan as a cyclonic circulation.

Due to dense foggy conditions and less sunshine, the maximum temperatures over Indo-Gangetic plains will drop by 2 to 4°C. Maximum temperatures are already below normal by 2 to 3°C over these plains.

In the extreme southern parts of the country, the trough of low pressure area near southeast Bay of Bengal has moved towards southwest Bay of Bengal. The cyclonic circulation associated with this area will continue to give rain over Tamil Nadu and Kerala during the next 24 hours. Moisture from this circulation will also reach Vidarbha, east Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to give rain at a couple of places during the next 24 hours.

The weather system will move closer to eastern coast thus increasing rainfall along the coast. Moisture could also reach up to Orissa, Jharkhand and West Bengal to give rain at one or two places after the next 24 hours.

Weather in major airports of India on Jan 1, 2013

Weather in Delhi airport may witness increase in fog during the next 24 hours. The weather in Indian airports in eastern parts of the country has improved.

Here’s a forecast for the weather in Indian airports during the next 24 hours.

Weather in Indian airports

Sri Guru Ram Dass jee International airport, Amritsar

Moderate foggy conditions will persist over Amritsar during the next 24 hours. Flight operations may get affected during early morning hours, as fog will turn dense.

Indira Gandhi International airport New Delhi

Moderate fog in Delhi airport is expected. Dense fog in pockets is also likely to prevail over Delhi. Early morning flights could get disrupted if winds turn northerly as humidity level is also high, at up to 100% at times and the minimum temperature would drop as well.

Chaudhary Charan Singh International airport, Lucknow

Fog will remain away from Lucknow airport during the next 24 hours because of northerly winds with less moisture content. Visibility will not disrupt flight operations from the airport.

Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan airport, Patna

Westerly to northerly winds are prevailing in Patna so there is no chance of disruption in flight operations. The sky will remain mainly clear and visibility is also good.

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata

Easterly to northerly winds over Kolkata will blow during the next 24 hours. Shallow fog will appear in Kolkata but that would not affect flight arrivals and departures.

Lal Bahadur Shashtri Airport, Varanasi

Fog conditions have improved in Varanasi as moisture content in the air has decreased. Shallow fog is expected. Northeasterly to westerly winds are expected to blow over the airport area.

Bangaluru International airport, Bangalore

Easterly to southeasterly winds blowing at a speed of 5 to 10kmph would be witnessed over Bangalore and fog chances are dim. The sky will remain party cloudy with a humidity level of around 97 percent during early morning hours.

 

Photograph by Flying Cloud

Temperatures to dip over northwest; fog, cold to reduce over east UP, Bihar

The maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to fall over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh during the next two days. Fog as well as cold wave conditions are expected to reduce at east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar during the next 48 hours. Rain would continue over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Andhra Pradesh and Karnataka during this period.

The Western Disturbance responsible for cold and fog relief over northwest parts of the country is now placed over eastern Jammu & Kashmir and would move away in an east-northeastwards. Thus rain and snowfall over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand would also reduce.

Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand will have snow or rain at one or two places during the next 24 hours. These places would become more or less dry thereafter.

So, with the exit of warm and moist winds from the region, cool and dry conditions would again become prevalent over northwestern parts of country as icy northerly to northwesterly winds will blow over this region. Night as well as day temperatures are expected to fall by 2 to 4 degrees during the next 48 hours over Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi and Rajasthan.

Maximum temperatures are expected to fall by 2 to 3 degrees during the next 48 hours over Indo-Gangetic plains. Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will see abatement in cold and fog conditions during the next two days as winds have turn westerly. Due to more sunshine, days will become warmer to raise the maximum temperatures. However night temperatures would fall by 1 to 3 degrees as winds during night will be northerly to northeasterly.

The trough of low pressure area near Comorin-Maldives area to Kerala coast now extends from Maldives. Rain is expected to lessen over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Lakshadweep after the next 24 hours. A trough of low pressure area in the southeast Bay of Bengal will give rain at a few places over the Andaman & Nicobar Islands during the next 24 hour.

 

Photograph by theDoGoodDames

Weather of Chennai during Summers

The gateway to south India, Chennai famous for its beaches, historical, traditional Tanjavore paintings and ‘sambhar’, and infamous for its scorching summers when the temperatures easily rises to more than 40⁰C. The high degree of heat and humidity are the characteristics of the Chennai weather in India. Mahesh Palawat, Head of the Forecasting team at Skymet Weather informs that the highest temperature witnessed so far in Chennai in the summers has been 42⁰C, indicating that this weather of Chennai in 2012 was a record breaking.

Effects of global warming are no more new and unheard off. The frequent changes in the weather of Chennai and all the other cities of India has been raising concerns for many scientists, researchers, weather forecasters, historians and even the common man. Weather forecasters say, rising temperatures in the summer season are common but to this extent and this rapidly is pretty alarming. Veena Reddy, born and brought up in Chennai, shares her experience of the weather of Chennai in the summers. “Chennai summers are that time of the year when we groan each morning and the searing heat scorches our bodies and mind”. This painfully hot weather in Chennai brings other woes too as tempers run high, sweat pours down in little irritating rivulets and erratic power supply and frequent power cut test the patience of of everyone. Summer weather in Chennai is clearly a phenomenon. Love it or hate it, but you can’t ignore it!

As people avoid going out during the day, in the evening the weather in Chennai becomes relatively pleasant. Beaches get crowded and people come to enjoy the cool sea breeze as temperature drops to mid-twenties (22⁰C to 25⁰C). But the summer season in Chennai has its benefits too. It heralds luscious mangoes and juicy watermelons and easy working hours and holidays for schools and colleges. Besides, there are two things that sell the most, Cotton and coconut water!

But the people may not be this patient or optimistic forever as temperatures are only expected to rise in the coming years. Data collected by Regional Meteorological Office (RMC) revealed that from 1906 to 2009 there has been a significant rise in the average temperature in the city during the summers. The RMC analyzed weather of Chennai by studying the months of March, April, May and June and the temperature variation chart showed an increase of 1.8⁰C in the mean temperature in March, meaning that the average temperature of 32.2⁰C in March 1906 had risen to 34⁰C till 2010. Forecasters also say that the coastal cities of the world will not only be the first to face the brunt of the changing global situation but will also face the worst.

Photo by ruffin_ready.

Climate change in northeast India

When Jatin Singh, CEO of Skymet, was planning to set up a private company that forecasts weather and provides weather solutions to power, insurance and agro sectors, he knew it won’t be easy as new challenges due to the ever changing global warming patterns are being faced every day. And this is more so in the places that are still far from being educating about weather.

‘Paradise Unexplored’, northeast India is a region with much diversity and culture. The region is quite vulnerable to the impacts of a changing climate and has faced the wrath of adverse weather events in the recent past. While some say northeast India has a very low adaptability level owing to the less development there. The climate in northeast India is typically a monsoon climate. Heavy rains, floods and humid conditions throughout the day are common here.

According to the report, an increase in precipitation in 2030s will be the maximum in the Himalayan region and the Northeast region. The weather in the northeast will also see a rise in the temperature by 1.8°C to 2.1°C. Also, the number of rainy days could increase by 1-10 days with intensity of rainfall in the region to increase by 1-6 mm/day. This is cause for alarm in the region as many parts are prone to landslides and floods, which are only aggravated by heavy rainfall. This adds to the already problematic and hard to deal with flood situations the northeast every year.

Forecasters at Skymet say the climate of northeast India changing can also be proven by the amount of rainfall recorded in Cherrapunji in 2012 till the month of August ( 10,604mm approx) was already way higher than what it was in 2011 (close to 9,000mm). A great concern for the Northeast therefore also lies in the projected threat of severe malaria as climate change will lead to wetter and also warmer periods.

Jatin says, “The assessment research on the climate and the changes in the weather of northeast is a complex challenge because it includes physical, biological and socio-economic aspects too. People should be pro-active and need to be sensitized in regards to the fast changing weather of the northeast regions. The lack of suitable and adequately documented data is something that makes it too difficult to single handedly predict about the weather.”

Though one thing is clear, the climate of northeast India will definitely be impacted and people should begin to gear up for adverse weather. For this, each one of us will need to come forward to do our bit, as it is our future at stake now!

Photo by Rajkumar1220.

 

Punjab’s climate important for economy

An inland delta of five converging rivers, Punjab is the largest agriculture capital of India. The weather of Punjab thus plays an important role with its effect on the agro industry and has a profound effect on the economic development of a region. Agriculture is the backbone of the Indian economy and about 65% of Indian population depends directly on agriculture and it accounts for around 22% of its GDP and agriculture derives its importance from the fact that it works on a vital supply and demand rule. It has also a great bearing on the social and cultural activities of the people.

Weather in Punjab in India is characterized by extreme hot and extreme cold conditions. Annual temperatures in Punjab range from 2 to 40°C (min/max), but can reach up to 47°C (117°F) in summer and 0°C in the winter season. Punjab is the ‘Granary of India’ as it is the largest producer of wheat in India and a major producer of rice and potato too. But falling fertility of the soil and excessive use of fertilizers and pesticides over the years has put the agro industry into trouble and has raised various questions on its effect on the economy of India in the long run. Another worry that has been noticed is the rapidly falling water table on which almost 90% of the agriculture depends; alarming drops have been witnessed in recent years. By some estimates, groundwater is falling by a meter or more per year. The late onset of the monsoons in 2012 has already had an adverse affect on kharif crop production in the entire country. This then led to the late sowing of winter crops in Punjab.

Seeing the change in the weather of Punjab this year, scientists and agriculturists are already raising concerns about whether the 161 lakh hectare production target of wheat in Punjab in India will be achieved or not. To make matters worse, there are also chances of ground frost as the weather in Punjab in January 2013 could be freezing as temperatures could fall below 2⁰C. Earlier in the year, the weather in Punjab remained dry because of very little rain; a rain deficit of 69% was recorded by end of June. Skymet weather has already forecasted no rain for Punjab for the coming week because of a weak ‘Western Disturbance’. If this happens, the critical need of water for the wheat crop will have to be fulfilled by the water left in the reservoirs which too is only 60%. This CRI (crown root initiation) stage due to less water, plus the raised MSP (minimum support price) of wheat by the government, has already forced the poor farmers to change to other crops next year.

Scientist and Doctor at Skymet Weather, NVK Chakravarty, says “the government should further raise knowledge and information on the weather in Punjab and other major agricultural states of India, to not just help the destitute farmer who depends on rain and suitable weather every year to sow his crop, but also to help India as a country to grow economically and socially to be at par with other developed nations”. He also adds, “The only way this could be done is by promoting private weather companies, other than the India Metrological Department as well to provide more accurate weather data”.

Photo by CIDSE.

 

Weather in major airports of India on 29 December 2012

Fog remains the main hindrance in flight operations during winters in India. Here is a fog update for major airports in India for the next 24 hours.

Moderate to dense Fog

Indira Gandhi International airport, New Delhi-Early morning flight operations could be affected due to dense fog in Delhi airport. Moderate to dense fog in packets is expected over Delhi during the next 24 hours.

Sri Guru Ram Dass jee International airport, Amritsar- Flight operations could also take a hit in Amritsar during the morning hours as moderate to dense fog is expected. Moderate fog will continue over Amritsar during the next 24 hours.

Moderate Fog

Netaji Subash Chandra Bose airport, Kolkata- Moderate foggy conditions would be witnessed over Kolkata during the next 24 hours but as visibility is good, flight operations will be unaffected.

Lal Bahadur Shashtri Airport, Varanasi- Moderate fog is expected at Varanasi airport, but it will not affect flight arrivals and departures.

No Fog

Chaudhary Charan Singh International airport, Lucknow- No fog is expected in Lucknow airport during the next 24 hours

Lok Nayak Jaiprakash Narayan airport, Patn- Northerly to northwesterly winds are prevailing here so there is no fog in Patna. Flight operations will be smooth under a clear sky.

Bangaluru International airport, Bangalore- The airport will remain fog free during the next 24 hours, and arrivals and departures will be smooth.

 

Photograph by Sitomon

Snowfall & rain continues in J&K, HP, Uttarakhand; cold wave abatement likely in north

Snowfall and rain is likely to continue over northwest hills and plains during the next 48 hours. Minimum temperatures are likely to increase by 2 to 3 degrees over northwest, central and adjoining east India during the next two days. Rain will continue over Tamil Nadu, Kerala and is expected in   Karnataka and south Andhra Pradesh during the next 24 hours.

Heavy snowfall is expected at one or two places over Jammu & Kashmir during the next 48 hours as the expected Western Disturbance has arrived. Light to moderate rain and snow is expected at many places over hills of J&K and at a few places over Himachal Pradesh during next 24 hours, thereafter weather would be dry.

The relatively warm and moist winds from the Mediterranean Sea would cut off the northerly winds for a period of about 48 hours to bring relief from existing cold wave conditions over northwestern parts of the country as minimum temperatures would raise by 2 to 3 degrees during this period.

Winds of east Uttar Pradesh and Bihar will blow from the westerly direction. These westerly winds will turn over west Bengal and would then blow from north. Temperatures of Bihar and adjoining east India have risen during the last two days. Day temperatures will remain stable. But marginal fall in minimum temperatures is expected. Moderate to dense fog would continue over east India. Jharkhand and Orissa will not be affected by fog. These states will have mist or haze in morning hours.

Cold wave conditions over central and adjoining east India would abate a bit during the next 24 hours as winds have turned southeasterly. Day and night temperatures are expected to be rise by 2 to 3 degrees during this period.

In the south, the easterly wave is affecting the weather in Tamil Nadu and Kerala. A few places in coastal Tamil Nadu and one or two places in south Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala could receive rain during the next 24 hours.







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