New Delhi: The 2016 Indian summer in on course to be the hottest ever, as per weather trends so far this year.
The Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) has said that 2016 “could be one of the warmest years of the century” for India.
Lead meteorologist at the ministry, Dr M Rajeevan, said January, February and March have already proved to be warm this year, as per The Indian Express.
The US' National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOOA) has also stated that 2016 is likely to beat 2015 as the hottest year on record globally.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has also expressed apprehensions that with several parts of India recording above normal temperatures in early 2016, the coming summer could prove to be the hottest ever.
“2015 was the hottest year ever recorded. Our forecast for the summer already talks of above normal temperatures."
“If you also look at the summer temperature until now, it looks that 2016 summer will be hottest,” said IMD director general Laxman Singh Rathore, as per PTI.
One of the reasons that could push temperatures up this year is the El Nino phenomena, which is likely to become neutral in the coming months.
“The strong El Nino conditions over the Pacific Ocean that started in 2015 are still continuing. However, the latest forecasts indicate that El Nino conditions are likely to weaken further and reach weaker El Nino conditions during the 2016 hot weather season."
“It has been observed that during the hot weather seasons followed by El Nino years (for example: 1973, 1995, 1998, 2003, 2010, etc. followed by the El Nino years of 1972, 1994, 1997, 2002 and 2009), above normal temperatures including moderate to severe heat wave conditions were experienced in most parts of India,” the IMD said.
The IMD has already made a forecast of a summer that will witness “above normal” temperatures, with several parts of the country expected to face heat wave like conditions.
