New Delhi: Day temperatures will continue to be high over northwest, central and western India for at least another week, the India Meteorological Department predicted on Tuesday, indicating an early onset of summer amid worries that it could adversely impact the wheat harvest.
North India saw cooler days compared to the weekend because of rainfall and snow in the upper reaches of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarakhand. Lahaul in Himachal Pradesh received 6 mm of snowfall, Atal tunnel in Kullu received about 10 cm of snow, Gulmarg in Kashmir received 10 mm of snow and Auli in Uttarakhand received 4 mm of snow.
“There was widespread rain and hail in different parts of Himachal, providing some respite from warm weather. The hail in Shimla was about 2 mm,” the Shimla weather office said in a statement. There will be clear skies in Kashmir after mild snowfall in several parts of the Union Territory, a Met Department official in Srinagar said.
The weather office expects temperatures to rise to in the next few days in the Konkan region and other parts of western. The rise over parts of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand could be 5-11 degrees above normal, it said.
There has been practically no rainfall in February except in Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and the Karaikal region. There is 99% rain deficiency over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh till February 20; 97% rain deficiency over Gangetic West Bengal; 99% over Odisha; 99% over coastal Andhra Pradesh; 100% rain deficiency over east and west Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan.
“Under the influence of a western disturbance on Monday, temperatures have fallen marginally by 1 -2 degrees but they continue to be several degrees higher than normal,” said Naresh Kumar, senior scientist at the weather bureau. “There has been no rain and the skies are clear, leading to high solar insolation. The anticyclone is also shifting over the Arabian Sea. So, we do not see any major respite from above-normal temperatures.”
“The wind pattern on the surface continues to be south-westerly, which is bringing in warm, dry winds,” said Mahesh Palawat, vice president of climate and meteorology at Skymet Weather Services, a private forecaster. “The anticyclone over Arabian Sea is also persisting and in absence of rain, we do not expect temperatures to fall further.”
On Tuesday, most cities in northern, central and western states recorded higher than normal maximum temperatures. Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 31.4 degree Celsius, seven degrees above normal, Gurugram 29.9°C (+5), Panjim 35.3°C (+5), Churu 34°C (+6), Jodhpur 32.5°C (+6), Udaipur 33.9°C (+5), Bikaner 34.1°C (+7), Shimla 20°C (+8), Mussourie 18.8°C (+6), Gwalior 34.6°C (+7), Agra 33.5°C (+6), Amritsar 27.2°C (+5), Chandigarh 29.5°C (+5), Patiala 29.5°C (+7) and Una 29 degree Celsius, a jump of five degrees over normal, according to IMD.
“Higher day temperatures might lead to adverse effects on wheat as the wheat crop is approaching reproductive growth period, which is sensitive to temperature. High temperature during flowering and maturing period leads to loss in yield. There could be a similar impact on other standing crops and horticulture,” the IMD warned on Tuesday in an advisory, asking farmers to opt for mild irrigation.
Faridkot-based farmer leader Jagjit Singh Dalewal said the weather condition was similar to 2022, except higher temperatures have arrived earlier, which could be bad for the wheat crop. “This time, if these temperatures continue in February, yields can drop by up to 40%, which will be detrimental for food security and the economy,” he said. Unseasonal heatwaves in the spring of 2022 led to a shrunken harvest of wheat, the main winter staple.