Bhubaneswar: With Winter 2021 emerging as the third warmest in the country's history since 1901, how will the summer month of April pan out for the common man?
No respite in store for the common man as the long-range forecast recently released by the IMD for the first fortnight of April predicts sunny days ahead.
Odisha will be witnessing a blistering heatwave during the second week of April when the daytime maximum temperature is predicted to touch over 42 degrees Celsius, the forecast says.
FORECAST FOR THE LAST 14-Days OF MARCH
The latest long-range forecast by IMD shows that in the remaining 13-days in the month of March, the maximum temperature in the State will remain below 40 deg C.
While the coastal districts are forecasted to record a daytime maximum temperature of around 38 deg C, the maximum temperature in the western and central Odisha is predicted to hover at around 39 deg C.
However, the Capital City of Bhubaneswar will record a hotter Sunday this week as the mercury is predicted to shoot up to touch 39 deg C.
While the western and central Odisha will witness the blowing of the westerly winds, the coastal Odisha will witness the flowing of south - southeast wind from the sea. Due to this favourable wind pattern, the coastal districts will not witness the mercury soaring up to touch 40 deg C.
FORECAST FOR FIRST FORTNIGHT OF APRIL
Heat is all set to pinch Odisha in the first week of April itself. The western districts of Bolangir, Nuapada, Bargarh and Sonepur will see the mercury rising to over 40 deg C. The other districts of western and central Odisha are predicted to record a maximum day time temperature of around 40 deg C.
As per the forecast, coastal Odisha, including Bhubaneswar, is predicted to record a maximum temperature of around 38-39 deg C during the first week of April.
However, from around April 9, blistering heat is predicted to sweep the State. The western Odisha districts like Sundargarh, Sambalpur, Jharsugud, Bolangir, Bargarh, Sonepur and Nuapada will see the mercury crossing the 42 deg C mark.
The central Odisha and districts adjoining Jharkhand will witness the mercury shooting up to touch around 41 deg C.
As far as the districts in coastal Odisha are concerned, the prediction shows the maximum day-time temperature hovering between 37-39 deg C. The temperature in Bhubaneswar will remain in the range of 38-39 deg C.
WINTER 2021 REALITY CHECK
The data with the IMD reveals that Winter 2021(Jan-Feb) has been the third-highest warmest in the country since the year 1901. It says the mean temperature recorded during winter 2021 had been 21.43 deg C, which is preceded by the years 2016 and 2009.
However, if the indicator of minimum temperature is taken into consideration, then Winter 2021is the second warmest in the country's history after the year 2016.
An analysis shows that while the top-5 warmest winters in the country's history (when the mean temperature is considered) have been in the last 15-years, the trend is not so in the case of minimum temperatures recorded in the country.
Among the top-5 highest minimum temperatures in winter, two years dated back to as early as 1912 and 1926.
However, the analysis shows that the country has been witnessing warmer winters since the year 2009 (as far as minimum temperature is concerned).
WINTER 2021 IN ODISHA
The IMD data shows that the maximum temperature recorded in the State in Winter 2021 had been 2 degrees C warmer vis-a-vis the normal. The minimum temperature in the winter this year in coastal Odisha showed an anomaly of only 1 degree C below the normal winter temperature. But the anomaly in western, central and southern parts had been around 2 degrees below normal.
The above analysis shows that Winter 2021 has been warmer in Odisha as the maximum temperature had remained above normal and the minimum didn't show any appreciable fall.