La Niña: Reason why India should brace itself for a harsh winter
Recent weather and forecast reports suggest that an impending wind phenomenon called La Nina is scheduled to bring significant temperature drop in the northern parts of India. The temperature is expected to fall down three degrees Celsius below normal due to these cold winds. In fact, several parts of North India have already started witnessing untimely rainfall leading to drop in temperatures.
According to experts, this will be the result of a massive climate change across the country, the one that has already affected monsoons this year, recording the seventh-most delayed and extended rainfall season since 1975. The main reason behind this is the unprecedented warming of the seas.
Reports also suggest that La Nina effects aside, India may also experience the consequences of the melting of Arctic Sea glaciers in the Kara Sea.
These are why meteorologists and other experts have warned India to brace itself for a harsh winter, from early December to mid-February.
La Nina: What is it?
Bay of Bengal and Arabian Sea are usually responsible for the cyclonic circulation in and around India. However, this year, cold trade winds from the Pacific Ocean, called the La Nina is also expected to accompany it, bringing forth the cyclonic circulation from the Pacific.
The Pacific trade winds under normal conditions blow from the west to the equator carrying with itself warm water from South America to Asia and replacing it with cold water from the inner surface of the sea. However, two opposing phenomena called La Nina and El Nino break this normal pattern. They are part of a bigger wind pattern called El Nino Southern Oscillation of the Pacific, that lead to worldwide climactic changes.
La Nina, or “little girl” in Spanish is a cooler wind phase that pushes more warm water towards Asia than usual, with its stronger than usual trade winds. This is how La Nina records below normal temperature in the northern hemispheres, leading to nations like India predict harsh winter warnings for themselves.
Experts have hinted at a double-dip La Nina, that has an 85 percent chance of hitting India with double its force, and is expected to last till spring 2022. The last La Nina effects were felt during 2017-18 in India.
India is already experiencing visible effects
The effects of the impending La Nina have already been apparent in the northern states of India with fall in temperatures and non-stop rains. This happened because the cold Pacific trade winds have created a low-pressure zone around the Bay of Bengal. This further led to the building up of moisture-laden winds, resulting in heavy downpour in North India. In fact, hilly regions like Dhauladhar, Gulmarg, Sonmarg and Pahalgam and many more have also experienced heavy to moderate snowfall recently, sending colder winds across the plain areas.