The maximum temperature in the national capital is expected to drop to nearly 33 degrees Celsius from the prevailing 39 degrees Celsius in the next two days, the weather department said on Friday. "The maximum temperature is expected to drop by four to five degrees Celsius in the upcoming two days as the capital will experience showers of rain and be covered with cloudy skies due to the active western disturbance which will hit northwest India on Friday," scientist and head of the Regional Weather Forecasting Centre, Kuldeep Srivastava told PTI. An active western disturbance is forecasted to hit northwest India by late Friday night, starting from Jammu, and its effects will reach Delhi late night on April 13 and continue till April 14, he said. "The temperature will drop by nearly 33 per cent in the capital, with overcast skies and wind speeds of 30 to 40 kmph. The effects of the April western disturbance will be felt until April 18 and 19, so the temperature will not reach 40 degre
Seasonal rains expected to be 102% of the long-period average of 868.6 mm for four-month period, it say
India is helping Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Mauritius develop early warning systems to reduce the loss of life and property due to extreme weather events, IMD chief Mrutyunjay Mohapatra has said. In a conversation with PTI editors, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) director general said India will play the role of a big brother and a peer advisor to Nepal, Maldives, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and Mauritius in the efforts to guard against the impact of extreme weather events. India's efforts are part of the 'Early Warnings for All' initiative announced by the United Nations in 2022 to ensure that everyone is protected from hazardous weather, water or climate events through life-saving early warning systems by the end of 2027. Mohapatra said India is helping five of the 30 countries identified across the world for the first phase of the initiative of establishing early warning systems. "Fifty per cent of the countries do not have an early warning system. The poor .
India's weather scientists have started harnessing the power of artificial intelligence and machine learning to enhance weather forecasts, India Meteorological Department Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said. In a free-wheeling interaction with PTI editors, he said over the next few years, the emerging technologies would also complement numerical weather forecasting models which are widely used at present to predict weather. He said the weather office has been increasing observational systems to make mesoscale weather forecasts at the panchayat level or over 10 sq km area at a faster rate. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has deployed a network of 39 doppler weather radars that cover 85 per cent of the country's landmass and enable hourly forecasts for prominent cities, Mohapatra said. "We have started using Artificial Intelligence in a limited way but within the next five years, AI will significantly enhance our models and techniques," he said. Mohapatra said the I
As the country braces for extreme heat in the April-June period with the temperatures already starting to rise, researchers have sounded the alarm over detrimental effects it can have on outdoor workers in farming, construction and other sectors. The India Meteorological Department recently said above-normal maximum temperatures were likely over most parts of the country in April-June this year, and the central and western peninsular parts are expected to face the worst impact. Above-normal heatwave days are likely over most parts of the plains, it said. Following the adverse weather warning, researchers are advocating for novel ways of working outdoors, including flexible hours and mandatory breaks, to help workers adapt to the effects of heat, made increasingly humid because of climate change. "Dry heat is relatively easier to handle. When the body heats up and we drink water, there is evaporation and the body cools down. However, in humid heat, evaporation reduces because of high
The move comes after Union Health Minister Mansukh Mandaviya chaired a review meeting on Wednesday
Southern districts of West Bengal are likely to experience heatwave conditions till April 5, the Met Department said on Monday. Heatwave conditions are expected to prevail from April 3-5 in the districts of Purulia, Bankura, West Bardhaman, West Midnapore and Jhargram, it said. Due to the prevailing dry westerly winds over the region, such conditions are very likely to occur over the districts of south Bengal, the weather office said in a bulletin. The maximum day temperatures are likely to rise by 2 to 4 degrees Celsius in south Bengal during the next three days, it said. The bulletin added that the maximum temperatures are going to be above normal by 4 to 5 degrees Celsius over the western districts from April 3-5.
India is set to experience extreme heat during the April to June period, with the central and western peninsular parts expected to face the worst impact, the IMD said on Monday as the country prepares for seven-phase general elections from April 19. India Meteorological Department (IMD) Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said above-normal maximum temperatures are likely over most parts of the country during the April-June period, with a high probability over central and western peninsular India. Normal to below-normal maximum temperatures are likely over some parts of the western Himalayan region, northeastern states and north Odisha, he said. Above-normal heatwave days are likely over most parts in the plains during this period. Ten to 20 days of heat wave are expected in different parts of the country against a normal of four to eight days, he said. Gujarat, central Maharashtra, north Karnataka, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Odisha, north Chhattisgarh and Andhra Pradesh are likel
Temperatures crossed the 40-degree-Celcius mark in parts of Karnataka, Gujarat and Rajasthan on Wednesday, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) warning of heatwave conditions over these places for the next two days. The mercury touched 41.6 degrees Celsius in Bhuj, 41.1 degrees Celsius in Rajkot, 41.5 degrees Celsius in Akola and 41.4 degrees Celsius in Washim. An IMD official said the maximum temperatures were two to three notches above normal over these regions on Wednesday but did not meet the criteria for heatwave conditions. The threshold for a heatwave is met when the maximum temperature of a station reaches at least 40 degrees Celsius in the plains, 37 degrees Celsius in coastal areas and 30 degrees Celsius in hilly regions, with a departure of at least four-and-a-half notches from normal. In a statement, the IMD said heatwave conditions are very likely in isolated pockets over North Interior Karnataka during March 27-29, Saurashtra and Kutch in Gujarat on March ..
The Election Commission has sought "strict compliance" of its directive of providing assured minimum facilities at polling stations, including drinking water, shade and medical kit, for the Lok Sabha elections in the backdrop of the IMD predicting a harsh summer. It has also shared with its state chief electoral officers a set of 'dos and don'ts' issued by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) to minimise the impact of the impending heat wave. In a letter sent out to its CEOs on March 16, the day it announced schedule for the Lok Sabha elections, the EC reminded them about its earlier set of instructions on assured minimum facilities at polling stations. According to the June 2023 instructions on assured minimum facilities, which have been circulated afresh, during summer, every polling party shall be supplied with oral rehydration salts (ORS) for their own use as well as for any voter needing the same due to heat-stroke. "A hand bill on 'Dos and Don'ts' in case of heat
IMD forecasts rainfall with lightning, and thunderstorms in a few areas. Heat wave conditions likely to be in Saurashtra, Kutch, and southwest Rajasthan
It was a chilly morning in the national capital on Thursday as the minimum temperature settled five notches below the season's average at 8.8 degrees Celsius, the Met office said. The city is likely to experience a partly cloudy sky during the day and the maximum temperature is expected to hover around 25 degrees Celsius, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. The relative humidity at 8.30 am was 75 per cent, the IMD bulletin said. According to the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB), the overall Air Quality Index (AQI) at 9 am stood at 179. An AQI between zero and 50 is considered "good", 51 and 100 "satisfactory", 101 and 200 "moderate", 201 and 300 "poor", 301 and 400 "very poor", and 401 and 500 "severe".
India is likely to experience a warmer start to the summer season this year with El Nino conditions predicted to continue through the season, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Friday. More heatwave days than normal are predicted over northeast peninsular India -- Telangana, Andhra Pradesh and north interior Karnataka -- and many parts of Maharashtra and Odisha. The country is likely to record above-normal rainfall in March (more than 117 per cent of the long-period average of 29.9 mm). India is likely to see above-normal maximum and minimum temperatures in most parts of the country in the March to May period, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said at a press conference. Heatwave conditions are not expected over north and central India in March, he said. Lok Sabha polls are likely to be held in April-May. Mohapatra said that the prevailing El Nino conditions -- the periodic warming of waters in the central Pacific Ocean -- will continue through the summer s
IMD has indicated that light to moderate rainfall, snowfall are likely over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura on February 22 and 23
Dense fog was also reported in Rajpura city, in the Patiala district of Punjab. Shivnath, a driver, complained that dense fog is leading to traffic jams
According to the data shared by the IMD, the minimum temperature in the city can go to 7 degrees and the maximum temperature would reach 25 degrees Celsius
The India Meteorological Department has decided to discontinue the services of the 199 district agromet units that provide crucial and detailed weather-related advisories to lakhs of farmers at the block level, helping them reduce crop losses and increase income. In an order issued on January 17, the IMD said the services of the district agromet units (DAMU) will not be extended beyond the current financial year (2023-2024). "Therefore, you are requested to kindly take necessary action for discontinuation of services of district agromet units (DAMUs) and winding up the existing 199 DAMUs," the order said. According to the minutes of the Expenditure Finance Committee (Finance Ministry) meeting held in February last year, a senior advisor of Niti Aayog had advised reevaluation of the "necessity of providing staff at each DAMU". The official suggested the Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) may have "centralised units instead of field units as the collection of data is automated". The
Unfavourable weather conditions in the world's second-biggest wheat producer after China could oblige the country to import the staple to ensure affordable supplies for its 1.4 billion people
After experiencing a drier-than-usual December and January, northwest India is expected to see normal to above-normal rainfall in February, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Wednesday. Addressing a press conference, IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said India cumulatively may experience above-normal rainfall in February. Northwest India recorded just 3.1 mm of rainfall in January, the second lowest since 1901, the IMD said. Northwest India consisting of seven meteorological sub-divisions is most likely to receive above-normal rainfall (more than 122 per cent of the long period average) in February. "Monthly rainfall over the country as a whole during February is most likely to be above normal (more than 119 per cent of the long period average)," Mohapatra said. Normal to above-normal rainfall is predicted over northeast and central India. Below-normal rainfall is likely over south peninsular India. Most parts of the country are likely to witness above-nor
This month marks the coldest January days in at least 13 years, with an average maximum temperature of 17.7 degrees Celsius and a minimum temperature of 6.2 degrees Celsius