Mercury to dip next week: Met

PATNA: Mercury in city is likely to dip under the influence of cold northwesterly winds blowing from snowfall-hit Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh.
As per a seven-day temperature forecast issued by Patna Meteorological Centre on Friday, the morning minimum in the city is expected to plunge up to 14 degrees C by Thursday. The morning minimum in Patna on Friday was recorded at 17.2 degrees C, two notches above the normal.

According to private weather agency Skymet Weather, minimums have increased by 6-7 degrees C in the region since November 8. In Patna too, the minimum temperature on November 8 was recorded at 14.5 degrees C, which rose by three notches on Friday.

Skymet Weather has attributed the surge in temperature to the presence of one after the other western disturbances that had approached the western Himalayas.

“Generally, whenever weather disturbance approaches Jammu and Kashmir, it gets preceded by a warm front. As a result, winds change their directions and start blowing from southwest and southeast directions. These winds are warm and humid. Consequently, an increase in minimums is felt,” a Skymet report stated on Friday.

However, the private weather agency stated that the wind direction has changed to northwesterly, which are cold and dry and thus lead to drop in temperature. “These winds are coming from Jammu and Kashmir as well as Himachal Pradesh that have recently experienced heavy snowfall,” Skymet stated.

Temperature is likely to plunge further under the influence of another western disturbance which is expected to hit western Himalayan region between November 23 and 29.

Meanwhile, India Meteorological Department (IMD) in its all India fortnightly bulletin issued on Friday stated that minimum temperatures are likely to be near normal over most parts of the country between November 16 and 22 and above normal over most parts of the country outside east India, where it is likely to be near normal between November 23 and 29.

It further stated that shallow to moderate fog was likely at isolated pockets over northeastern states between November 16 to 22 and over plains of northwest India between November 23 and 29.