Colder, harsher winter in India this year due to La Nina conditions

New Delhi, 2-Nov-2020

The night temperature in Delhi in October was the coldest recorded in the month in 58 years. The residents of the national capital have been feeling the chill before the usual onset of winters. Delhi's Safdarjung observatory recorded an average of 17.2 degrees in October. In Jammu and Kashmir, Srinagar recorded temperature near zero on October 27. Cold winds from Jammu and Kashmir have pushed the temperature in parts of North Maharashtra below normal. In northern parts of Madhya Maharashtra like Pune and Nashik, La Nina may cause temperatures below normal. On Saturday, Ludhiana recorded the same temperature as Pune while Dehradun was colder at 14.3 degrees Celcius.

La Nina effect
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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted last month that winter this year will be colder due to La Nina conditions. "As weak La Nina condition is prevailing, we can expect more cold this year. The El Nino and La Nina conditions play a dominant role if you consider the large scale factor for the occurrence of cold wave conditions," IMD�s Director-General Mrutunjay Mohapatra was quoted as saying by PTI. "La Nina conditions are favourable for cold wave conditions, while El Nino conditions are unfavourable for it," he said. The increase in the La Nina impact during November and December will likely bring down the night temperature in north India and parts of Madhya Maharashtra, bringing longer colder winters. La Nina is a climate pattern that describes the cooling of the Pacific waters while El Nino is characterised by unusually warm ocean temperatures. Both factors are also believed to have an impact on the Indian monsoon.