Normal to below normal temperatures in Southern India: IMD

This would be mainly because of thunderstorm activity in the southern region

As citizens swelter under the summer sun, here’s a bit of good news from the India Meteorological Department (IMD): a major part of the southern peninsula will experience normal to below normal temperatures in April. 

At a virtual press conference on Thursday, M. Mohapatra, Director General of Meteorology, IMD, said Karnataka, Kerala, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Andhra Pradesh and Southern Telangana will have below normal to normal temperatures. This would be mainly because of thunderstorm activity in the southern region, he added. 

This is in contrast to northwest and central India, and some parts of the northeast, where maximum temperatures are likely to be above normal.

The probabilistic forecast for April rainfall based on a multi-model ensemble forecasting system also shows that April rainfall averaged over the country will most likely be normal. However, while below normal rainfall is most likely over northwest and central India and some parts of northeast India, normal to above normal rainfall is likely over many parts of the south peninsula, western parts of central India and parts of the northeast, Dr. Mohapatra said.

Asked if global warming has had an impact on rainfall, he said the frequency and intensity of heavy rainfall is increasing in some parts. He added that in March, though there was no thunderstorm activity in the first half, it was normal during the latter half as coastal Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu and others received rain as per expectations.

Meanwhile, the IMD, Bengaluru said rainfall occurred at isolated places over the State. “The trough/wind discontinuity from interior Odisha to Telangana now runs from above cyclonic circulation over southeast Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar to interior Tamilnadu across Chhattisgarh, Telangana and Rayalaseema and extends up to 0.9 km above mean sea level. A cyclonic circulation lies over the Gulf of Mannar and extends up to 0.9 km above mean sea level,” Thursday’s bulletin said.

Raichur recorded the highest maximum temperature of 42.4 degree Celsius in the State, while Bidar recorded the lowest minimum temperature of 19.5 degree Celsius.