Chennai chills out

CHENNAI: Chennai is witnessing the coldest winter in a decade. The average minimum temperature in the first 15 days of January shows the mercury around 20.5 degree celsius, the lowest at least in the past 10 years. This comes right after the disastrous northeast monsoon that ended with 55 per cent deficit rainfall forcing a drought-like situation for the city. 

According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the cold weather will continue till the last week of this month. The weather inference on Friday shows a trough of low at mean sea level currently lying over South Andaman Sea and adjoining areas of Southeast Bay of Bengal and equatorial Indian Ocean. 

“This system brewing in the Bay may alter the cold weather by bringing moisture and clouds. We have to wait and see how the system develops and where it moves. Any change in weather pattern would only happen towards the end of the month. Until then the minimum temperature would continue to be below normal,” said weather blogger Pradeep John. 

Some weather models show the system may intensify into a ‘cyclonic storm’, but considering the fact that the region has well passed the monsoon season, it is unlikely. If it moves towards Sri Lanka or so, there would be some moisture incursion and movement of clouds towards Tamil Nadu, which will improve the minimum temperature. 

Currently, with no moisture and clear skies, the entire state is feeling the chillness in the air. Nagapattinam recorded the highest minimum temperature of 24.2 degree celsius. The temperature in hill stations like Valparai, Ooty, Kodaikanal and Coonoor continue to remain in single digits. A few days back, the mercury level in Ooty plummeted to a freezing 3 degrees celsius, while Valparai recorded as low as 2 degrees celsius earlier this month.   

Sixth-worst monsoon since 1901: IMD

As per the ‘Statement of Climate of India during 2018’ released by IMD recently, the northeast monsoon season (October-December) rainfall over the country as a whole was substantially below normal (56% of Long Period (1951-2000) Average). This was the sixth lowest since 1901. The seasonal rainfall during the northeast monsoon season over the core region of the south peninsula (comprising five subdivisions i.e. Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Rayalaseema, Tamil Nadu and Puducherry, South Interior Karnataka, and Kerala), was also below average (66% of LPA). Of these five subdivisions, one sub division Kerala received normal rainfall; the other four subdivisions received deficient rainfall.