IMD forecast: Winter will be colder than last year

This winter is going to be colder than last season, India Meteorological Department has said.

"The season's mean temperatures in most of the subdivisions are likely to be cooler than last year," IMD said in its winter forecast issued on Thursday.

The season's mean temperatures are likely to be colder than normal by 0.5 degrees Celsius in Karnataka. The same trend is likely for Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Goa and Konkon region.

Since 2016, the weather office has been issuing summer and winter forecast, based on a climate model. Earlier, such an exercise was limited to the monsoon rains.

While the mean temperatures would be colder than the 2016 season, the maximum and minimum temperatures would be warmer than normal across the country. This is because 2016 winter was unusually warm.

The 2016-17 winter season (December to February) was the fourth warmest ever winter season since 1901 with most parts of the country recording warmer temperature anomalies up to more than one degree Celsius rise in average temperature.

Analysis of minimum temperature data across the country during the last four decades suggests decreasing trends in the frequency and duration of cold waves in many parts of the country in tune with the decreasing trends in cold waves observed over many other parts of the world.

Normal to below-normal cold wave conditions are likely over core cold weather zone.

Cold wave likely

This zone covers Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha and Telangana and Met subdivisions of Marathwada, Vidarbha, Sourashtra and Madhya Maharashtra.

On an average nearly 780 deaths, majority among the homeless, occur due to cold waves each year.