- News>
- Newspapers
Cool now doesn`t mean chill later: The Hindustan Times
New Delhi, Oct 24: Already seeing the coldest October since 1998, Delhi remained enveloped in a haze for the better part of Thursday, bringing the day and night temperatures further down.
New Delhi, Oct 24: Already seeing the coldest October since 1998, Delhi remained enveloped in a haze for the better part of Thursday, bringing the day and night temperatures further down.
While most Delhiites are quick to predict a severe winter ahead, meteorological officials are playing it safe. To make predictions about the severity of the winter at this stage will be jumping the gun, they say.
Met officials also deny any link between a heavy monsoon and a harsh winter. This year the city had witnessed the heaviest rainfall in the past 25 years.
The October chill is being attributed to the colder-than-usual northerly winds. “How cold the winter is will depend on several factors including the Western disturbances,” says SK Subramanian, deputy director general, Indian Meteorological Department.
The minimum temperature ever recorded in Delhi in October was 9.4 degrees Celsius on October 31 1937.
It was the absence of Western disturbances — the warm winds from Afghanistan that hit northern India — which caused the coldest fortnight in 40 years in the Capital last January.
However, October 2003 has been cooler than usual. Night temperatures have already touched 16 degrees Celsius, while the day temperatures are likely to drop below 30 degrees Celsius in the days to come.
The haze which covered the city on Thursday morning is likely to continue for another couple of days, bringing temperatures further down.
While the weatherman is cautious, past records suggest that a cold October is generally followed by a colder-than-average winter. But you can keep your fingers crossed, hoping the Western disturbances are normal this year.
While most Delhiites are quick to predict a severe winter ahead, meteorological officials are playing it safe. To make predictions about the severity of the winter at this stage will be jumping the gun, they say.
Met officials also deny any link between a heavy monsoon and a harsh winter. This year the city had witnessed the heaviest rainfall in the past 25 years.
The October chill is being attributed to the colder-than-usual northerly winds. “How cold the winter is will depend on several factors including the Western disturbances,” says SK Subramanian, deputy director general, Indian Meteorological Department.
The minimum temperature ever recorded in Delhi in October was 9.4 degrees Celsius on October 31 1937.
It was the absence of Western disturbances — the warm winds from Afghanistan that hit northern India — which caused the coldest fortnight in 40 years in the Capital last January.
However, October 2003 has been cooler than usual. Night temperatures have already touched 16 degrees Celsius, while the day temperatures are likely to drop below 30 degrees Celsius in the days to come.
The haze which covered the city on Thursday morning is likely to continue for another couple of days, bringing temperatures further down.
While the weatherman is cautious, past records suggest that a cold October is generally followed by a colder-than-average winter. But you can keep your fingers crossed, hoping the Western disturbances are normal this year.