Weather in India

Weather anomalies are a constant source of human fascination. Also, the Asian monsoons may be classified into a few sub-systems, such as the Indian Sub-continental Monsoon which affects the Indian subcontinent and surrounding regions including Nepal, and the East Asian Monsoon which affects southern China, Taiwan, Korea and parts of Japan. Similarly, the cyclonal impact on India (being in tropical region) is very common phenomenon.

Recent Developments

Tsunami mock Exercise IOWave18

  • India, along with 23 other Indian Ocean Nations, participated in a major Indian ocean-wide tsunami mock exercise (drill) on 4th & 5th September, 2018.
  • The Exercise, known as IOWave18, was organized by the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, which coordinated the setting up of the Indian Ocean Tsunami Warning and Mitigation System (IOTWMS) in the aftermath of the 26 December 2004 tsunami.
  • In India, IOWave18 is being coordinated by the Indian National Centre for Ocean Information Services (INCOIS), Ministry of Earth Sciences (MoES) with support from National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA), Ministry of Home Affairs (MHA), National Disaster Response Force (NDRF) and the Coastal States/UTs.

Early Warning Dissemination System (EWDS)

  • India's first automatic coastal warning for disasters was launched in October, 2018 in Odisha. The project aims to establish fool-proof communication systems to address existing gaps in disseminating disaster warning up to community level.
  • The project is being implemented under National Cyclone Risk Mitigation Project with World Bank's help.
  • The warning can be circulated just by the press of a button from the control room in the State capital in the event of occurrence of natural disasters like cyclones.
  • The siren towers will be installed in 22 blocks under six coastal districts such as Balasore, Bhadrak, Jagatsinghpur, Kendrapara, Puri and Ganjam.
  • The EWDS comprises of Satellite-Based Mobile Data Voice Terminals (SBMDVT), Digital Mobile Radio (DMR), Mass Messaging System (MMS) and Universal Communication Interface (UCI) for inter-operability among different communication technologies.

Subhash Chandra Bose Aapda Prabandhan Puraskaar

  • In order to recognize the excellent work done by individuals and institutions, the Govt of India instituted an annual award in the field of Disaster Management in December 2018.
  • Three eligible institutions and individuals will be given the ‘Subhash Chandra Bose AapdaPrabandhanPuraskaar’ every year with cash rewards ranging from Rs 5 lakh to Rs 51 lakh.
  • An application by an institution does not debar any individual from that institution to apply for the award in his individual capacity.

Recent Cyclones

  • Cyclone Daye: Cyclonic storm, Daye hit Andhra coast on September 19, 2018.
  • Cyclone Titli: Very severe cyclonic storm, TITLI, made landfall at Gopalpur, Odisha on October 11, 2018, with a widespread destruction in southern Odisha and Northern Andhra Pradesh.
  • Cyclone Gaja: Cyclone Phethai hit the coast near Katrenikona in the Konaseema region of East Godavari district of Andhra Pradesh on November 10, 2018.
  • Cyclone Phethai: Severe cyclonic storm Phethai hit the east coastal states of India on December 13, 2018.

Other Initiatives

  • Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune has already installed 48 lightning sensors around the country which can locate the thunderstorm/lightning activities in real time.
  • IITM and Earth System Science Organization (ESSO) have developed an app, 'DAMINI', to monitor lightning activities.
  • In December 2018, under Data Rescue Scheme, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has digitized over eight lakh weather charts and maps that were a part of its archives.
  • The main objective of this programme is with the perspective to preserve the old Weather Charts / Climate Records / Data available in manuscripts / paper forms as initiated by WMO since 2000. The project is being carried out by the weather department’s National Data Center (NDC) wing.

Weather in India

  • The weather in India varies dramatically. While the southern tip of India is being lashed by tropical monsoon rain, the north will be blanketed in thick snow.
  • Indian weather itself is divided into three distinct seasons - winter, summer, and the monsoon.
  • Winter season: January and February are the coldest months of this season. The temperature is between 10°C to 15°C in Northern India and about 25°C in Southern India.
  • Summer season: The North Indian region experiences a well-defined hot weather season during the month of April and May. Temperature starts rising by the middle of March and by mid-May, Mercury touches 41° to 42°C. Temperature even exceeds 45°C in areas of central and north-west India.
  • A striking feature of the hot weather season is the Loo. It is a hot and dry wind which blows in Northern India and Pakistan and can cause heat stroke.
  • Monsoon season: The inflow of south-westerly monsoon in India brings the season of rain in India. The monsoon may burst in the first week of June or even earlier in the coastal areas, while in the interior it may be delayed to the first week of July. With the onset of rains, temperature starts falling. The Indian sub-continent receives the bulk of its rainfall during the south-west monsoon period.

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