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The Hindu
14-05-2025
- Climate
- The Hindu
Why do Andhra Pradesh and Telangana get so hot during the summer?
On May 12, 17 districts of Andhra Pradesh recorded temperature above 41° C, with the A.P. State Disaster Management Authority (APSDMA) saying heatwave-like conditions are set to prevail in the northern districts of Srikakulam, Vizianagaram, Paravathipuram-Manyam and East Godavari, and Kakinada. Mercury levels surged past the 40° C mark across all 33 districts of Telangana on April 21. Adilabad was the hottest with a maximum temperature of 44° C, according to data from the Telangana Development Planning Society. Situated on the eastern side of the Deccan plateau in South India, Andhra Pradesh and Telangana feature regularly on the list of Indian States most prone to heatwaves during the summer. Both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana experience very hot summers due to a mix of geographical and climatic reasons. First up: the geographical location of the States. Latitudinally, both Andhra Pradesh and Telangana fall under the Tropic of Cancer. This puts the States in the Torrid (or tropical) Zone – a region characterised by its hot and humid weather. 'Both AP and Telangana are near the Tropic of Cancer, therefore the sun is vertically above these States during summer months, leading to increased solar radiation and heating,' Mahesh Palawat, Vice president Meteorology and climate Change at Skymet, told The Hindu. Telangana experiences an additional layer of continental climate too. Telangana is a landlocked State, with no major water bodies nearby to moderate temperatures. As a result, it experiences a continental climate, where temperatures can rise sharply during the day. This is also true for interior districts of Andhra Pradesh, which are far from the sea. According to Mr. Palawat, most parts of Telangana lie on the rocky terrain of the Deccan plateau with black soil, which absorbs more heat, causing temperatures to spike. 'Land surface, terrain and green cover make a lot of difference to the temperature of an area,' Vimal Mishra, professor at IIT Gandhinagar, told The Hindu. 'If you compare these States to regions which are under intensive agriculture or have dense forests, those areas are much cooler due to evaporative cooling,' he said. Evaporative cooling is a process that leads to a reduction in temperature of the surroundings as water evaporates. Water requires energy to convert from liquid to gaseous state. In drier climates, when water evaporates, it takes up heat from the surroundings as its source of energy to convert to vapour, thus cooling the surroundings. 'The terrain of Telangana and Andhra Pradesh is rocky and there isn't much agriculture during summer at least, and effect of irrigation is minimal,' Dr. Mishra said. He also said that there is ample research to show that irrigation makes a lot of difference to summer air temperatures, and it can reduce dry bulb temperatures and suppress heatwaves. This phenomenon is very well pronounced in areas like the Indo-Gangetic plains, he added. 'Irrigation involves using water on land surface, which is stored as soil moisture. During high temperatures in summer, evaporation from soil and transpiration from plants causes evaporative cooling in the area, reducing the intensity of heatwaves,' Dr. Mishra said. The rocky terrain of Andhra Pradesh and Telangana does not allow for this phenomenon to be pronounced enough for it to make a difference in temperatures. Lack of sufficient rainfall is another factor that leads to high summer temperatures in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana. 'Between March and May, these States don't get enough rainfall to cool down the temperatures. Monsoon reaches here after June 10. This causes less cloud cover and more sunshine, hence leading to higher temperatures,' Mr. Palawat said. Loss of forest cover also leads to reduction in evapotranspiration, leading to increase in localised temperatures. According to the State of Forest Report 2023, Andhra Pradesh lost 138.66 sq km of forest cover compared to the 2021 assessment, while Telangana lost 100.42 sq km. Challenges and mitigation According to Dr. Mishra, the absence of early warnings forecast system based on hourly observations is one of the biggest challenges to mitigating heatwaves. 'The India Meteorological Department has started working in this area, but lot of progress is still to be made.' Understanding the risk is the first step towards mitigating impact of heat waves, which should be followed by differentiating districts based on dry heat and humid heat, Dr. Mishra said. 'Early warning systems have proven to be very effective for heatwaves, but they remain ineffective because we don't understand the differential risk – heat challenges require different solutions based on the local nature of impacts,' he said.
Hindustan Times
10-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Showers to continue in Delhi, heat set to return from Tuesday: IMD
The scattered rain that brought brief respite to Delhi and its surrounding areas on Saturday left residents with mixed feelings, as humid heat returned by the by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) mentioned similar conditions will prevail on Sunday. It is not likely to rain on Monday and Tuesday, and the dry westerlies are also expected to lead to a rise in temperature and fall in humidity. 'Cloudy skies persisted throughout Saturday and is expected to continue over the next week as well. Very light rain, accompanied by thunderstorm or lightning and strong surface winds of speed 30-40kmph, gusting upto 50kmph, are expected on Sunday as well,' a Met official said. Surface winds at 15-25kmph, occasionally rising to 35kmph are expected to continue on Monday and Tuesday as well, the official added. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said, 'There might be isolated rain in parts of Delhi on Sunday but after that, chances are very low. The western disturbance impacting the region will pass. Moreover, the cyclonic circulation over northeast Rajasthan had also been impacting the weather activity, which is expected to subside.' 'Following this, dry westerlies will start flowing in the region, as a result of which temperature is expected to rise and humidity is expected to decrease,' Palawat added. Safdarjung, representative of Delhi's weather, received 12.8mm of rain between 11.30am and 2.30pm. Palam received 5.3mm of rain in 24 hours till 8.30am on Saturday and then 3.1mm of rain between 11.30am and 2.30pm. Other weather stations like Lodhi Road and SPS Mayur Vihar received 17.5mm and 13.5mm rainfall in the afternoon as well. No rain was recorded after that till 5.30pm. Delhi's maximum temperature was recorded at 35.9 degrees Celsius (°C) on Saturday, which was 3.4°C above normal and down from 36.7°C a day before. The minimum was logged at 25.8°C — marginally up from the normal 25.1°C and Friday's 25.7°C. According to forecast by IMD, the maximum temperature is likely to be around 37-38°C on Sunday and then 39-41°C by Tuesday. The minimum, too, is expected to rise and reach 27-29°C by Monday. The city's air quality, meanwhile, deteriorated but continued to remain in the 'moderate' category. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 189 (moderate) at 4pm on Saturday, as compared to 151 the day before, according to Central Pollution Control Board's daily national bulletin. Forecasts by Air Quality Early Warning System (AQEWS) for Delhi suggest that the air quality is expected to remain in the 'moderate' category for the next two days and then deteriorate to 'poor' by Tuesday. 'The air quality is likely to be in the moderate category from Sunday to Monday and poor on Tuesday. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the poor to moderate category,' the AQEWS bulletin stated on Saturday evening.
Hindustan Times
07-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Rain, thunderstorms likely to continue over NW, central India for next 5 days: IMD
Rain coupled with thunderstorms is likely to continue over northwest and central India for next five days with maximum intensity including hailstorms and gusty winds on May 8, India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Heavy rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning is likely over northeast India till May 11. (HT photo) Heavy rainfall is also expected at isolated places over east Rajasthan and Uttarakhand on Thursday. Heavy rainfall along with thunderstorm, lightning and squally winds are likely to continue over Gujarat state on Thursday with a possibility of isolated extremely heavy rainfall over Saurashtra and Kutch. Heavy rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm and lightning is likely over northeast India till May 11. Unusual weather marked by gusty winds and overcast skies had started around May 1 and has been continuing since then over NW India and other parts of the country. 'This weather is very unusual in May. Thunderstorm activity will continue over NW India for next 3-4 days, but some models are also showing that thunderstorm, gusty winds will continue till May 13-14 marked by easterly winds, western disturbance and cyclonic circulation over the northern plains. Western Disturbance (WDs) are impacting frequently, and they are traveling slightly south of their normal position leading to impacgt on the plains,' said Mahesh Palawat, vice president, climate and meteorology, Skymet Weather. Southwest monsoon is very likely to advance into South Andaman Sea, some parts of Southeast Bay of Bengal and Nicobar Islands around May 13, IMD has forecast. The normal date for monsoon advancement over the South Andaman Sea is May 22. 'Monsoon advancement over South Andaman Sea is expected a week earlier than normal. But we cannot say if monsoon arrival over Kerala will also be early,' said Palawat. Normally, monsoon arrives over Kerala on June 1. A western disturbance as a cyclonic circulation is lying over West Madhya Pradesh in lower to upper tropospheric levels. An upper air cyclonic circulation is lying over northwest Madhya Pradesh in lower tropospheric levels. An east-west trough is running from southwest Rajasthan to north Jharkhand in lower tropospheric levels. A trough is running from northeast Arabian sea to cyclonic circulation over West Madhya Pradesh in lower & middle tropospheric levels. Also Read:14 dead in rain-related incidents in Gujarat; more thunder, dust storms expected A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect Westen Himalayan region from May 9 onwards. Under the influence of these systems, scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds speed reaching 40-60 kmph likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand. Meanwhile, heat wave conditions are likely in isolated pockets of Sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim on May 10 and 11; Gangetic West Bengal till May 13; Odisha, Bihar and Jharkhand till May 13. Hot and humid weather is likely to prevail over Odisha on May 8; Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Kerala and Mahe on May 8.
Hindustan Times
05-05-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Delhi: IMD issues orange alert for Monday; days to get cloudier
Mercury in Delhi remained below the season's normal on Sunday, with the maximum temperature at 36 degrees Celsius (°C), which was 3.3°C below the normal and minimum temperature at 24.2°C — 0.5°C below normal. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has issued an orange alert for Monday warning the residents for thunderstorm and strong surface winds of 40-50kmph by late evening. The temperatures are likey to remain below normal over the next few days, IMD's forecast mentioned. The weather department had previously issued a yellow alert for Monday but later updated to an orange alert . 'Generally cloudy skies are likely to persist over the week till Thursday with very light rain and sustained wind. Light rain was observed on Sunday with clouds over several parts of the city during the day. IMD has issued an orange alert for the day. Light rain is likely later in the night, accompanied by thunderstorm and lightning. Strong surface winds are also expected, at 40-50kmph and later gusting to 60kmph during the thunderstorm,' a Met official said. No alerts have been issued for Wednesday but the Capital may witness very light to light rain accompanied with thunderstorm. 'The heat wave conditions are not likely to return during the week and the maximum temperature will remain below 36-37°C,' the official added. Mahesh Palawat, vice president at Skymet, said cells are forming towards Haryana which may lead to patchy rain in the next few days. 'One may observe 5-10 minutes of intense rain at few places but it is not likely to be as intense as the Friday storm. Over the week, the weather will be cloudy with below normal maximum temperature...A western disturbance persisting as a cyclonic circulation over south Punjab, Haryana and north-west Rajasthan along with circulation over south-west Rajasthan are causing these per-monsoon weather activities over north-west India,' Palawat added. The air quality of the city, meanwhile, deteriorated slightly and continued to be in the poor category. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was recorded at 232 at 4pm on Sunday, according to the Central Pollution Control Board's daily national bulletin. The AQI was 180 (moderate) a day before and 145 on Friday. The Air Quality Early Warning system (AQEWS) for Delhi has forecast the AQI will be in moderate category from Monday till Wednesday. 'The air quality is likely to be in the 'moderate' category from May 5 to May 7. The outlook for the subsequent six days is that the air quality is likely to be in the 'moderate' to 'poor' category,' the AQEWS bulletin stated on Sunday evening.
The Print
02-05-2025
- Climate
- The Print
What caused unseasonal downpour that wreaked havoc in Delhi NCR? A rare mix of weather phenomena
'Temperatures are likely to remain below 40 degrees Celsius at least on the first 10 days of May,' the official said, adding the mercury will start rising again after that. A senior Met department official said that thunder and dust storms, with light to moderate rain spells, are expected to continue over Delhi and its satellite towns through the weekend. New Delhi: A rare confluence of weather systems over Delhi-NCR led to intense rain and thunderstorms Friday, and caused the windspeed to peak up to 80 kmph in some pockets, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. Heavy rain, along with gusty winds, lashed Delhi-NCR in the early hours of Friday. The high-speed storm caused a house to collapse in the national capital, killing at least four people. Over a dozen trees were also uprooted and roads got waterlogged. Some flights were delayed. Also read: What Delhi govt's 2025 Heat Action Plan promises & what it misses What caused the sudden rain? IMD data showed that till 8.30 am, the Safdarjung observatory—the representative station—recorded 77mm of rainfall. This is the second highest single-day rainfall record for May since 1901. The record for the highest single-day rainfall was on May 20, 2021, when it was 119.3 mm. At Lodhi Road, 78 mm rainfall was recorded Friday; at Ridge, 59.2 mm; and at the Aya Nagar weather station, 39.4 mm rainfall was recorded through the night. Squally winds hit Safdarjung at a speed of 80 kmph. According to the IMD, this sudden weather change was due to a combination of factors involving moisture and wind patterns. Mahesh Palawat, vice-president (meteorology and climate change) at Skymet Weather, a private weather forecasting agency, explained that two cyclonic circulations are currently active over the region. One, over Punjab, Haryana and northwestern Rajasthan, and the other over southwestern Rajasthan. A cyclonic circulation is a pattern of winds that rotates around a low-pressure area. This, along with intense rain-bearing cloud formation, due to increased heating in the region over the last few days, led to such heavy showers. 'These clouds tend to cause heavy showers for shorter durations,' Palawat explained. The IMD confirmed that the region experienced moisture and wind convergence from both the Arabian Sea and the Bay of Bengal. These conditions were further assisted by a synoptic pattern—a large-scale weather pattern typically observed on a weather map or chart—at the lower and middle tropospheric levels. 'The minimum temperatures have already dropped by a few degrees. In some pockets, the drop is as much as 5-6 degrees. Its effect will also be seen in the maximum temperatures,' a Met official said on Friday. Climate experts said there has been a trend of erratic western disturbances in recent years, leading to extreme weather events. 'There is growing evidence that western disturbances are impacting weather outside the winter season, leading to extreme precipitation events. There is no doubt that increasing heat stress is the basis of everything, as it is generating more energy and at the same time pushing moisture upwards,' said professor AP Dimri, director of the Indian Institute of Geomagnetism. (Edited by Ajeet Tiwari) Also read: Everyone in north and central India must adapt to extreme heatwaves. Spring has vanished
