Bhubaneswar: The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday informed that residents of Odisha will have to wait a longer period of time for the winter to set in as the State is likely to experience above normal maximum and minimum temperature in November.
In its monthly outlook for November, the national weather forecaster said there is 35 per cent (pc) to 45 pc probability that Odisha will experience hotter days this month. There is high possibility of over 75 pc that the state will witness warmer nights too.
In its extended range outlook for two weeks, the met office said maximum day temperature is expected to be 4 degree Celsius to 6 degree C above normal in interior regions and 2 degree C to 4 degree C above normal over remaining parts of the state between November 1 and 7. Minimum temperature is expected to be normal to above normal in the next seven days. From November 8 to 14, maximum temperature is likely to be 2 degree C to 4 degree C above normal in parts of interior Odisha.
Associate Professor of IIT-BBS School of Earth, Ocean and Climate Sciences, Sandeep Pattnaik attributed the warmer days and nights to the prevailing hot and dry north-westerly winds and easterly winds carrying moisture blowing towards the state.
A high pressure system over the Arabian Sea, coupled with a trough at the upper-tropospheric level over mid-latitude region, is directing hot and arid north-westerly wind towards Odisha and adjacent states, resulting in the elevation of day-time temperature above the climatological normal, said Pattnaik.
Nights are also projected to experience higher temperature as easterly wind, saturated with moisture, is predicted to blow towards the state due to a fresh low pressure area likely to form over southwest Bay of Bengal by the end of this week, he said.
Even as the IMD has predicted warmer November, there is no indication of how the winter season, which officially commences in December and continues till February, will pan out over the country. The IMD said there is a higher chance of La Nina conditions developing during November- December but weather experts opined that it could be remarkably weak.
Earlier this year, several models had predicted La Nina to develop by the second half of southwest monsoon soon but these forecasts proved inaccurate. La Nina leads to cooler ocean surface temperatures in the Pacific Ocean which in turn triggers global climate changes, including harsher winters in the country.