Mercury soars at 36⁰C in Goa; tourism possibly low

The weather in Goa invited thousands of travelers from around the world to see its beautiful beaches. The weather in Goa with its moderate temperatures are a great escape for the freezing and ever dropping temperatures of north India. The weather of Goa in the month of January promises to stay sunny and warm as the easterly winds from the sea keep the temperature on the higher side.

Goa
Date	Max Temp⁰C
16/01/2013	36
17/01/2013	33
18/01/2013	32
19/01/2013	33
20/01/2013	34
21/01/2013	34
22/01/2013	35
23/01/2013	34

Forecasters at Skymet Weather have been studying the temperatures of Goa in the last few days and they inform us that the weather in Goa has continuously been in the higher thirties due to a number of reasons. Head of the forecasting team, Mahesh Palawat at Skymet Weather says, “The continued warm weather of Goa would has possibly affected the tourism this month as compared to the tourism figures every year.” The inclination of the sun towards the northern hemisphere, the easterly winds from the sea being warm, dry conditions, lights winds, no rain and the halted flow of the cool winds from the north could be the many reasons for the above normal temperature in the Goa. This is a table indicating the max temp in Goa from Jan 16^th to Jan 23^rd 2013, compared to the max temp on the same dates in 2012.

Goa
Date	Maximum Temperature
16/1/2012	33
17/1/2012	32
18/1/2012	30
19/1/2012	30
20/1/2012	29
21/1/2012	29
22/1/2012	31
23/1/2012	31

 

 

 

 

 

After a lull in the arrival of tourists in December, around New Year and in January too, the tourism industry in Goa is expecting a brighter season during the ‘Goa Carnival’, which is held in the month of February. However authorities blame the weather of Goa less and the flight rates to Goa more, for the poor tourism in Goa this year. They say, even when the weather of Goa was not so warm during early December, a drop in tourist arrivals was observed by 15 to 17%.

Although a recent law passed by the Supreme Court to reduce air fares will definitely help in increasing the tourism figures once again. "We have already got a feedback that all the airlines are booked during Carnival time. So we expect that the arrivals will shoot up," said Nikhil Desai, Director of State tourism, Goa. Weathermen at Skymet say, “It’s never too late, January has been warm but the weather of Goa in the month of February could be less warm and the wind pattern could change, bringing in cooler winds and a drop in mercury.

The Goa Carnival would be celebrated from 9^th of February onwards during which float parades are organized across five main cities. Mythological figures of King Momo, parades in the streets, the overflow of fenny and various dance performances keep the tourists from all over the world entertained.

Photo by Nizam Uddin.