Winter comes early for North India

NEW DELHI: Large parts of northern India including the capital region will experience more chilly weather this month as wind blowing from icy Himalayas and the global La Nina phenomenon have made the winter set in early and more intensely.

After the coldest October in six decades, the capital experienced its lowest November temperature in over a decade on Monday with the mercury dipping to 6.3 degrees celsius.

"Globally, La Nina brings a dip in temperatures. Locally, we are observing a consistent northwesterly wind direction. This brings in the cold winds from the Himalayas, where there has been snowfall," Kuldeep Srivastava, head of regional forecasting of the Regional Meteorological Department in Delhi told ET.


The cooling of the Pacific Ocean waters causes a La Nina to form. It is associated with an above-normal monsoon season for the subcontinent, but also brings cooler winters with it. La Nina conditions will persist till at least February 2021, the Australian Bureau of Meteorology has said.

This year's winter season across the capital is likely colder than usual by 1 to 2 degrees C, the India Meteorological Department had said in its extended range forecast. The normal maximum and minimum temperatures in Delhi are 22.8 and 8.8 degrees C respectively.

"A cold wave persists in the capital, despite the minimum temperatures rising. It will continue for the coming two days at least," Srivastava said, adding that temperatures will begin to fall further from November 29 onwards.

According to IMD, cold wave conditions are met in non-mountainous regions when the mercury falls below 10 degrees C, and the minimum temperature is at least 4.5 degrees C below its normal temperature.