Northeast, along with several other parts of the country, will have a warm winter season this year- revealed the India Meteorological Department (IMD) winter forecast (December 2019- February 2020) report on Friday.
The report, however, said winter in North will be normal than the rest of the nation.
“In North, the temperatures are expected to be in the normal range with days slightly chillier,” the report said.
“The average minimum temperatures in the country, except in the western Himalayan states, are likely to be higher than normal,” IMD said.
“This will account for the warmer winter,” the IMD report reiterated.
In the north including Delhi-NCR, the average minimum temperatures are projected to be in +0.5 to -0.5 degree C on the positive side.
“Average day temperatures, however, are likely to be in the negative end of the normal range,” the IMD stated.
“The forecast shows above normal temperature in most parts of India except in the north,” IMD added.
“The winter in the north is likely to be normal,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD’s director-general of meteorology.
“Delhi-NCR temperature projections suggest a slightly higher frequency of cloudy or foggy days,” he added.
The head of IMD’s long-range forecasting D Sivananda Pai said, “The warmer-than-normal forecast for this winter has a clear imprint of global warming.”
“Model forecasts in recent years mostly show higher-than-normal temperature anomalies,” he added.
“Negative temperature anomalies are becoming rarer,” he further said.
The IMD since 2016 has been releasing winter forecast report and according to it, 2018 was the warmest year globally.
“Northeast is a biodiversity hotspot of the world and warm winter in the region is not a good sign,” said Souvik Baruah, a Guwahati-based environmentalist while speaking to Northeast Now.
“Northeast can do its bit to protect the nature and turn winter cooler in the future,” he added.