Most of India recorded warmer Jan, says IMD

NEW DELHI: Only northwest India recorded below normal temperatures this January compared to the southern peninsula, central and northeast India which were warmer than usual, according to an analysis by the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The southern peninsula recorded significantly above normal temperatures during this period, the analysis added.

The mean temperature in January over northwest India was 11.75 degree Celsius, 0.22 degree Celsius below normal; the maximum temperature was 17.93 degree Celsius, 0.40 degree Celsius below normal while the minimum temperature was 5.57 degree Celsius, 0.04 degree Celsius below normal.

When compared to the rest of the country, northwest India was the only region that recorded a harsh winter. The remaining regions recorded substantially above normal (average for 1981 to 2010 period) temperatures, according to the analysis by the weather body.

The development was mainly a result of unusual rains in northwest India and in the southern peninsula in January, experts said.

The mean temperature over the south peninsula was 26.36 degree Celsius, 1.07 degree Celsius above normal. Over central India, it was 21.55 degree Celsius, 0.87 degree Celsius above normal. Over northeast India, it was 17.19 degree Celsius, 0.69 degrees above normal.

Overall, the country recorded the fifth warmest January after 2016, 2009, 1958 and 1931. The weather body is expected to release a detailed report on the temperature and rainfall patterns in January soon.

The average maximum, minimum and mean temperature for the country, as a whole, during December 2020 are 26.6 degree Celsius, 15.1 degree Celsius and 20.9 degree Celsius against the normal of 26.6 degree Celsius, 14.4 degree Celsius and 20.5 degree Celsius, respectively. In December, the temperatures were near normal for almost all regions.

The report is also likely to explain how the south peninsula made a record in terms of rainfall this January.

“In the first two weeks of January, there was widespread rain in northwest India due to an intense western disturbance and also extremely widespread and heavy rains in the southern peninsula due to easterly activity. So there has been a lot of clouding. When there is a cloud cover, the heat is not able to escape from the surface at night,” said DS Pai, senior scientist, IMD Pune.