2019 winter to be the warmest since 2009, no sign of winter in Bengal till mid-December

This year’s winter will be the warmest ever since 2009 in India, predicted the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).

The IMD has predicted warm winters for every year since 2016, with only 2017 being an exception. In its bulletin, the IMD has said that the seasonal average minimum will be warmer than normal by 0.5°C. The seasonal average for winter is calculated for December, January and February.

It was also said that the winter temperatures for the “core cold wave region” in India may also remain higher than normal. This includes Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Orissa and Telangana and subdivisions of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladakh, Marathawada, Vidharbha, Saurashtra and Madhya Maharashtra.

A light cloud cover over most parts of the country during this period will also lead to greater incoming solar radiation than usual in winter, and thus increase the temperatures. Also, 2019 is an El Nino year and the winter following an El Nino year is usually warmer. An El Nino is a peculiar climatic pattern in which the temperature of surface waters of tropical Pacific Ocean rises above the normal level. Such a change significantly drives worldwide changes in weather pattern.
Meanwhile, the minimum and maximum temperatures in West Bengal will remain around 20°C and 29°C till Tuesday with occasional fog. The days will remain slightly warmer than normal. There are no predictions of rainfall. The weather office has said that it may be mid-December for the winter to arrive in the state.