New Delhi: Unseasonal rains and crop damage in several states, followed by deficit rainfall and drought in nine states, topped off by a deluge in Chennai at the end of 2015.
The year that is drawing to a close was dotted by extreme weather events, which are becoming more frequent. Several factors contribute to such events, posing new challenges for weather forecasting.
Unseasonal rainfall in February and March for the second year in a row damaged crops in 14 states across the country; Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra and Punjab were the worst hit. In August, floods caused by heavy rainfall claimed the lives of nearly 200 people and loss of property in Gujarat, Rajasthan, West Bengal, Odisha, Manipur, Meghalaya and Jharkhand.
For the entire country, the June-September southwest monsoon rainfall was 14% less than normal, with 302 out of 640 districts experiencing at least a 20% shortfall.
“There is an increase in extreme weather events and reduction in the number of rainy days. These are not good signs. Every year, we are breaking records of warm temperatures. You cannot see atmosphere in silos and this is a challenge in operational forecast and more research is required,” said L.S. Rathore, director general, India Meteorological Department (IMD). Rathore added that as variability in weather increases, the uncertainty of weather also increases, posing a challenge for weather forecasting.
http://www.livemint.com/Politics/4SbC4kGC9cYt2oxtrYS6eP/A-year-of-extreme-weather-conditions-for-India.html
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