Climate change: Madurai among cities to lose spring season

In 1970, the risk of Madurai having a day in March over 40 degrees Celsius was only 3 per cent. Presently, the city has a risk of 19 per cent

CHENNAI: It is still March and if you have been experiencing sultry and feeling like in an oven already for the last few weeks, blame it on climate change. During recent years, winters across the country are becoming warmer and transition between winter and summer has become rapid. Result: we no longer experience spring.

According to an analysis conducted by Climate Central, Madurai is the only southern city that has a higher risk of a day in late March crossing 40 degrees Celsius (104 degree Fahrenheit). All the other cities with the highest risk of reaching 40 degrees Celsius in March are in the central part of the country. Bilaspur and Nagpur have a highest risk of 31 and 27 per cent respectively.

In 1970, the risk of Madurai having a day in March over 40 degrees Celsius was only 3 per cent. Presently, the city has a risk of 19 per cent.

It may be noted that temperatures in many districts in Tamil Nadu such as Erode, Karur, Madurai, Salem and Tirupattur reached up to 38 degrees Celsius during the start of this week.

On Thursday (till afternoon), Erode recorded the highest maximum temperature of 39.6 degree Celsius followed by Karur Paramathi with 39 degrees Celsius. Salem, Dharmapuri, Namakkal and Madurai (city and airport) recorded maximum temperatures in the range 38 degree Celsius to 39 degrees Celsius. The spring season in India is culturally in the months of March and April, with an average temperature of approximately 32 degrees Celsius. This corroborates with the common perception of disappearing spring season and temperature transition quickly from winter to summer-like conditions.

Professor Dr Kurian Joseph, director of Centre for Climate Change and Disaster Management (CCCDM) in Anna University, observed that the trend of quick transition of temperature is there for the last 10 years. “This year also, summer started sooner. The trend is due to global warming and this is a clear indication of climate change,” he explained.

While saying this change impacts plants and animals, Kurian Joseph said productivity of humans will decrease due to the extreme heat.

According to a research by IMD, sea surface temperatures (SSTs) of the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal are rising and there is strong positive correlation between land surface temperatures and sea surface temperatures suggesting significant contribution of warmer sea waters which may have important climatic implications over neighboring regions. As per IMD definition, heat waves occur when the maximum temperature of a station reaches 40 degree Celsius or higher in Plains regions, 37 degrees Celsius or higher in coastal areas, and 30 degree Celsius or higher in Hilly regions.

Winters are warming up

As per India Meteorological Department (IMD) data, the average actual minimum temperature recorded in Peninsular India in February 2024 was 21.17 degrees Celsius. This is 1.43 degrees Celsius higher than the average normal minimum temperature of 19.74 degrees Celsius.

Similarly, the average actual minimum temperature recorded in the region in January 2024 was 22.18 degrees Celsius. This is 1.59 degrees Celsius higher than the average normal minimum temperature of 20.59 degrees Celsius. Meanwhile, an analysis by Climate Central, the southern part of the country has strong warming in December and January. In the northern part of India, the contrast between January trends (cooling or slight warming) and February (strong warming) means that these regions now have the potential for abrupt transitions from cool winter-like temperatures to the much warmer conditions that traditionally occurred in March, the analysis said.