7 hours ago
Maximum temp in city touches 37C as rain subsides & cloud cover clears out
Guwahati: As rain subsided in the northeast, the lack of cloud cover pushed the maximum temperature five degrees Celsius above the normal range in several towns and cities in the last couple of days.
Guwahati's maximum temperature on Monday was 37 degrees Celsius, one of the highest in the northeast for the day. The departure above normal for Guwahati was 4.5 degrees Celsius. Commuters said the rise in maximum temperature felt unusually high.
Dibrugarh, North Lakhimpur and Tezpur in Assam and Passighat in Arunachal Pradesh recorded the highest departures in maximum temperatures for the day, and this trend has been continuing for at least the last couple of days.
Tezpur and North Lakhimpur on the northern bank of the Brahmaputra in Assam recorded the highest departures at 5.5 degrees Celsius and 5.2 degrees Celsius, respectively. Passighat in Arunachal recorded a departure of 5 degrees Celsius on Monday.
Most of the towns and cities in the northeast experienced a two to three degree Celsius rise in temperature above the normal range on Monday. Earlier, the India Meteorological Department had predicted a similar trend.
A departure by 4.7 degrees Celsius in Dibrugarh, 4.1 degrees Celsius in Jorhat and 3.9 degrees Celsius in Agartala resulted in discomfort.
"It seems that the temperature rise is a clear impact of climate change. Construction has gained pace everywhere, and trees are being cut for development, resulting in this discomfort," said Niki Talukdar, a Guwahati student.
KN Mohan, head of the regional meteorological centre of IMD, said the simultaneous rise in maximum temperature and humidity has resulted in these conditions.
"Temperatures during the day feel higher due to the hot and humid conditions. Relative humidity is above 70 in various parts of the northeast, and this has resulted in discomfort," he added.
He said there is not enough moisture and wind for the formation of clouds over the northeast. This has left the region without a cloud cover, resulting in direct sunlight heating the surface.
However, Mohan added that the maximum temperature has not yet touched previous record highs for June.
Cities like Guwahati, Silchar and Dibrugarh are still below the highest maximum June temperature recorded ever, he added. On Monday, Guwahati's maximum temperature was 37 degrees Celsius, whereas Silchar and Dibrugarh's corresponding figures were 35.7 and 36.2 degrees Celsius.
For June, Guwahati's highest maximum temperature was 39 degrees Celsius, recorded on June 13, 2019, whereas the corresponding figures for Silchar and Dibrugarh were 39.2 (recorded on June 29, 2021) and 38.2 (recorded on June 26, 2015).
