Shillong, March 22: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) issued a new forecast for thunderstorm, hailstorm, and rainfall activity from March 23 to 25 over northwest India and March 24 to 25 over central and adjacent eastern India.
The weather has confused people and caused great concern among farmers, ranging from record temperatures in February to a rapid commencement of pre-monsoon thunderstorm activities in mid-March. According to meteorologists, the two extremes – early heat in February and March that causes a heated land surface and the start of pre-monsoon activity are actually connected. Although not particularly exceptional, scientists noted this year’s pre-monsoon activity began very early.
“When there is heating, convective clouds develop. In most places, February brought temperatures that were more than 5 to 6 degrees Celsius above average. A triggering mechanism was created by the hot, dry soil. Two anticyclones that formed over the head of the Bay of Bengal and the Central Arabian Sea brought in a lot of precipitation. The Western Himalayas were also impacted by a western disturbance and other low level cyclonic circulations”, said M. Mohapatra, IMD’s director general.
The wheat harvest has been damaged by squally weather and rain in almost all major producing states, but it may take weeks to determine the full degree of losses, according to preliminary assessments by a commission set up in anticipation of impending early-summer heat waves.
IMD stated that a cyclonic circulation was present over northeast Rajasthan and that an east-west trough was extending into Nagaland at lower tropospheric levels. Lower tropospheric levels above southwest Rajasthan have another cyclonic circulation.
