The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on November 29, 2019, said that the Northeast along with most parts of India will have a warm winter this season.

The winter forecast (December 2019- February 2020) released on Friday said except for the North, the rest of India will experience a warmer winter.

“In North, the temperatures are expected to be in the normal range with days slightly chillier,” the report said.

“The average minimum temperatures in the country, except in the western Himalayan states, are likely to be higher than normal,” IMD said.

“This will account for the warmer winter,” the IMD report reiterated.

Average minimum temperatures in the north including Delhi-NCR are projected to be +0.5 to -0.5 degrees C on the positive side.

“Average day temperatures, however, are likely to be in the negative end of the normal range,” the IMD stated.

“The forecast shows above normal temperature in most parts of India except in the north,” IMD added.

“The winter in the north is likely to be normal,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, IMD's director-general of meteorology.

“Delhi-NCR temperature projections suggest a slightly higher frequency of cloudy or foggy days,” he added.

“Daytime conditions will be chillier but the duration of cold waves will be lower- all within the normal range,” he reiterated.

He further said that “the northern hill states may see a cold winter”.

As for the rest of India, he said, “Nights are likely to be significantly warmer than normal in south India and interior Maharashtra.”

“There will be a positive deviation of more than 1 degree Celsius,” he added.

“Night temperatures would be higher than normal in the rest of central India, Rajasthan, east UP, and east and the Northeast,” Mohapatra added.

It was also revealed that in east Rajasthan and west MP days could be colder on average by 0.5 degrees C or more.

“Warm days have been projected in Chhattisgarh, Odisha and south interior Karnataka,” the report stated.

“Average temperatures here would be above normal by over 0.5 degrees C,” the report added.

In the rest of the country, day temperatures are projected to be within the normal range.

D Sivananda Pai, head of IMD's long-range forecasting said the “warmer-than-normal forecast for this winter has a clear imprint of global warming”.

"Model forecasts in recent years mostly show higher-than-normal temperature anomalies,” he added.

“Negative temperature anomalies are becoming rarer," he further said.

“North India during November was hit by a number of western disturbances leading to several snowfall spells in the hills,” IMD said.

“This has given rise to expectations that winter could be harsher than usual,” IMD added.

The IMD, since 2016, has been releasing winter forecast reports and according to it, 2018 was the warmest year globally.

Warm winter in the Northeast was out of my imagination till some years back, but things are changing fast.

Global warming is an enemy that we all need to stand up against and fight.

Northeast, one of the biodiversity hot spots of India, needs to wake up and lead this battle against global warming!

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