Brace For An Intense & Cooler Winter In India This Year, Says IMD Chief Mohapatra

New Delhi: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted a cooler winter this year, with intense and more frequent cold wave events likely to sweep over India.

“The prevailing weak La Nina conditions in the Pacific Ocean are likely to influence and trigger severe cold conditions,” IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said on Wednesday.

In 2019, Delhi and adjoining areas in the north had experienced its coldest winter of the century.

La Nina is abnormal cooler sea surface temperatures reported along equatorial Pacific Ocean and is known to favour cold waves. A weak La Nina condition has prevailed over Pacific Ocean since August.

“During La Nina years, the severity of cold conditions becomes intense. The frequency and area covered under the grip of a cold wave becomes larger,” Mohapatra said while speaking at a webinar titled ‘Cold wave Risk Reduction’ organized by the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA).

“Though trends over India have been that of a warming winter during recent years, there is no particular trend observed for the regions experiencing cold wave,” Mohapatra said.

He added that regions along north and north-west India – Rajasthan, Punjab, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat – are most prone to cold waves.

The IMD will, from this year, introduce impact-based forecasts for sectors that would be affected by severe cold conditions, Mohapatra informed.