Climate change has resulted in extreme weather episodes worldwide and India has not been any different to changing climate and patterns. This year north India witnessed adverse heatwaves and now a new forecast predicts a much colder approaching winter.
North India cold shivering under three degrees celsius indicated the latest forecast and weather observations. The cold winter will be a result of La Lina as it brings cold winds from the Pacific.
Some parts of north India have already begun to see unexpected rains in the past weeks causing a plunge in the normal temperatures.
Weather phenomenon La Nina emergence in the Pacific ocean is set to bring nail-biting cold in North India in the month of January and February reported Bloomberg.
Temperatures will dip as low as three degrees in some northern states.
Colder winter may also cause energy crises in several Asian countries, said the report. China in particular witnesses issues as it is a top energy consumer. India too has been fighting a never-ending fuel price rise and coal shortage.
Experts have warned to embrace North people for winter. Here’s an explainer on what La Nina is and how it will affect India.
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What is La Nina?
In Spanish, La Nina literally translates to Little Girl.
La Nina is sometimes also known as the El Viejo or anti-El Nino, which translates to “a cold event,” according to the National Ocean Service of National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NIAA), US Department of Commerce.
With an effect on the global climate and disruption of normal weather patterns, La Nina can lead to intense storms in certain regions and droughts in others.
This weather condition is usually a result of a build-up of cooler than normal waters in the tropical Pacific, the area of the Pacific Ocean between the Tropic of Cancer and the Tropic of Capricorn. The process of upwelling, unusually strong eastward moving trade winds and ocean currents bring the cold water to the surface.
Between the 1988-89 La Nina event, coastal sea-surface temperatures near Ecuador and Peru dropped by almost 4 degrees celsius because of upwelling.
Duration of La Nina
An episode of La Nina typically lasts nine to twelve months but can at times stretch for years according to the National Ocean Service.
It usually develops during the spring and reaches peak intensity during the late fall or winter and then weakens during the spring or summer.
The last occurrence of La Nina was from August 2020 to April 2021.
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Effects of La Nina on India
The early winter in Himachal Pradesh and temperature drop to sub-zero in the areas of Lahaul-Spiti and Kinnaur are being attributed to La Nina. As per the Indian Meteorological Department data, Shimla has recorded a minimum temperature of 6.4 degrees Celsius on Sunday.
According to reports, temperatures are set to go as low as three degrees celsius with January and February being extremely cold.
La Nina is also the reason behind the recent heavy rainfalls in parts of the country, especially in Uttarakhand and Kerala. Uttarakhand had reported 77 people dead due to the chaos and disaster from the heavy rainfall, while Kerala reported 42 people dead due to rains and landslides.
India had witnessed extreme cold past
Several northern states including Uttar Pradesh and Punjab last year have experienced a minimum temperature below the five degrees Celsius mark.
Delhi saw a colder November, while in 2019 December was the second coldest winter ever in over 100 years. The maximum day temperature fell to 9.4C.