Latest news with #Westerlies
The Hindu
5 days ago
- Climate
- The Hindu
Four dead as rain continues to batter Kerala
Four people died in rainfall-related incidents in Kerala as the Southwest monsoon rainfall continued to batter the State on Friday, causing extensive damage to property and prompting the India Meteorological Department (IMD) to scale up alert levels over the course of the day. The deceased included a 52-year-old fisher in Thiruvananthapuram whose body was recovered on Friday, two men aged 36 and 37 in Kottayam who died after their boat capsized, and a 39-year-old man who drowned in the Madhuvahini river in Kasaragod. Efforts were also on to trace several people who were reported missing, including nine fishers who had gone out to sea in two fishing boats in Thiruvananthapuram district. By Friday afternoon, the IMD had put eight Kerala districts on red alert for extremely heavy rainfall, while the remaining districts were on orange alert for isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall. IMD forecasts indicate that the intensity of rainfall is likely to weaken over the weekend and through the coming week. All districts are on yellow alert on Saturday for isolated heavy rainfall as per a 4 p.m. weather update. Revenue Minister K. Rajan, speaking to the media in Thrissur, urged the people to remain alert in the days ahead. So far, 1894 people are currently accommodated in 66 relief camps across the State, Mr. Rajan said. The IMD said strong Westerlies were likely to continue over Kerala and Lakshadweep region during the next two days. Fishers have been warned not to set out to sea till June 1 as squally weather prevails over the Kerala coast. The southwest monsoon had set in over Kerala on May 24 this year. Kerala has recorded 111% excess rainfall during the period from March 1 to May 30, which is a 'large excess' in IMD parlance. Meanwhile, the deep depression over Bangladesh and West Bengal has weakened into a depression. It is expected to weaken into a well-marked low pressure area by the early hours of Saturday. (With Inputs from District Bureaus)
Hindustan Times
25-04-2025
- Climate
- Hindustan Times
Blow-hot, blow-cold weather likely to ease in Lko from Sunday
Rising day temperatures made life difficult for people across UP on Friday. However, the Met office spelt good news for Lucknow city, forecasting rain from the start of the new week. 'Lucknow will experience rain on Monday, while temperature will drop up to six degrees Celsius,' the Met office said. The state forecast for the next 24 hours is most likely dry. The Met department has issued a heat wave warning at isolated places over the state. However, the weather is likely to ease from Sunday across the state. 'Prevailing Westerlies (hot air) are likely to replace Easterlies from Saturday itself, and by Sunday, it will cover the entire state. It will result in a drop in temperature and will bring some respite from hot weather,' said Atul Kumar Singh, senior scientist at Lucknow Met office. At 44.8 degrees Celsius Kanpur (IAF) remained hottest in the state, Prayagraj 44.6, Sultanpur 44.4, Hamirpur 44.2, Varanasi (BHU) 44, Jhansi and Fursatganj 43.8, Agra 43.6, Ghazipur 43.5, Banda 43.4, Aligarh 43.2 were not far behind. The maximum temperature in the state capital on Friday was 43 degrees Celsius, which was 3.9 degrees above normal. The forecast for the next 24 hours is mainly clear skies becoming partly cloudy. Maximum and minimum temperature will be around 42 and 24 degrees Celsius, respectively.
Japan Times
19-03-2025
- Climate
- Japan Times
Japan's record snow in February attributed to global warming
Global warming contributed to record snowfall in northern and eastern Japan in February, increasing the amount of snow by up to 10%, the Meteorological Agency said in a report released Tuesday. The country experienced an unusually harsh winter, with heavy precipitation in wide areas this year. Last year, it had its hottest year on record . A Meteorological Agency committee studying extreme weather said such conditions were due to a mix of factors, including Westerlies meandering above the skies, curving southward around Japan and bringing cold air with it. Based on 'event attribution' research by a group of scientists who conducted weather simulations with and without climate change, the agency committee concluded that the two heavy snow events observed in February were influenced by global warming. Warming is known to increase the volume of precipitation because atmospheric and sea temperatures create more water vapor, which turns into snow when exposed to cold air. In one snow event studied — which hit Tohoku and eastern Japan, including Yamagata and Niigata prefectures — global warming caused precipitation to increase by 6% in the week from Feb. 3, the researchers said. The increase attributable to warming was steeper, at 7%, in mountainous areas 500 meters above sea level or higher, while the increase was milder on flatlands in lower altitudes, at 4%. Meanwhile, in Hokkaido's Tokachi area, the amount of snowfall for the peak six hours from the night of Feb. 3 to the morning of Feb. 4 increased 10% due to climate change, the researchers said. 'Snowfall and snow accumulation are expected to go down with global warming,' the agency said in a statement. 'But (the analysis) suggests that global warming can increase snowfall when there is an inflow of strong cold air.' Hisashi Nakamura, a professor at the University of Tokyo who chairs the extreme weather committee at the agency, told reporters it was rare for Japan to experience two cold snaps in February. But he urged people to prepare for heavier snow in the future, noting the meandering of the Westerlies is likely to continue.
