India’s Core Cold Wave Zone | 30 Nov 2019
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Recently, the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD) has predicted average minimum temperatures to be “warmer than average” in winters for most parts of the country.
- India’s ‘core cold wave’ zone is expected to experience higher minimum temperature during winters.
- A trigger for this phenomena is the warm surface waters of the equatorial Pacific ocean.
- Core cold wave’ zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana.
- The warm winters in the country and overall rising global temperature is a sign of global warming.
- India on an average is 0.5 degree celsius warmer than 50 years ago.
- Rising temperatures lead to warmer than average ground temperatures and consequently a rise in minimum temperatures.
- The global temperature is expected to rise 3.2 degrees celsius by the end of the century and intensify severe weather events.
India Meteorological Department (IMD)
- IMD was established in 1875.
- It is an agency of the Ministry of Earth Sciences of the Government of India.
- It is the principal agency responsible for meteorological observations, weather forecasting and seismology.