Warmer Christmas in Northeast This Year Blamed on Cloud Cover

GUWAHATI: A warmer Christmas was witnessed this year in the northeastern states, including Guwahati on Sunday, with the mercury recorded above normal in most of the major cities and towns of the region.

Last year, on Christmas day, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) records showed that the minimum temperature in Guwahati had dropped to 10.5 degrees Celsius, marking a departure of -0.4 degrees Celcius from normal. This Christmas, however, the minimum temperature was 3 degrees above normal in Guwahati on Sunday, recording 13.9 degrees Celsius.

Shillong too had recorded a minimum temperature of 6 degrees Celsius last year, which was a departure of -0.4 degrees from normal. This year, however, the minimum temperature stood at 7 degrees Celsius, which was recorded to be 0.6°C above normal.

The minimum temperature at Imphal, conversely, was recorded at 6.7 degrees Celsius, which is 2.2 degrees above normal this year. Last year, a 3-degree departure above normal was evident, with the minimum temperature recorded at 7.5 degrees Celsius, higher than the temperature this year.

A senior scientist at Regional Meteorological Department (RMC) at Borjhar here said, "The reason for the above normal temperatures were recorded over most parts of the region was due to the presence of medium high clouds. However, no large change was observed in night temperatures over the region during the last 24 hours."

He also ruled out any chances of the temperature dropping at night in the northeast in the presence of cloudy condition. However, it is likely to register a drop during the day.

The met official further pointed out that, during the last 24 hours, light to moderate rainfall at isolated places in Arunachal Pradesh and Assam has been experienced whereas dry weather prevailed over Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. He added that the entire northeast as a whole is expected to experience an increase in rainfall activity on Monday and Tuesday and a drop in rainfall intensity thereafter.

The Regional Meteorological Centre (RMC) here issued a series of warnings about thunderstorms and lightning with hail occurring at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya.

On Monday, the IMD said that thunderstorm and lightning with hail and heavy rain is forecasted to occur at isolated places over Arunachal Pradesh, even as the higher reaches of Arunachal Pradesh is very likely to experience heavy snow at isolated places.

Assam and Meghalaya and Nagaland are set to experience thunderstorm and lightning with hail, which is very likely to occur at isolated places, it added.

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