This November was warmest on record in north India

NEW DELHI: This Nov was the warmest on record in north India with the average mean temperature in the region crossing 20 degrees Celsius for the first time in records going back to 1901. Across the country, too, the month logged the second highest maximum temperatures, lower than only the Nov of 2016.

Temperatures in Nov followed the trend in Oct, which was the warmest on record in India, making the post-monsoon months in the country among the warmest ever. The trend is likely to continue into the winter, IMD said while releasing its forecast for the Dec-Feb period on Monday.

The average mean temperature in north India during Nov was 20.14 degrees Celsius, nearly 1.4 degrees above normal, beating the month's previous highest of 19.87 degrees C set in 1977, as per IMD data. Across India, the average maximum temperature during the month was 29.37 degrees C.

One of the main factors behind the warm streak was prolonged dry spell in most parts of the country, IMD said. With a deficit of nearly 55% across India, rainfall during last month was the third lowest for Nov since 2001. Even south India, where the northeast monsoon is active during this period, logged a shortfall of close to 38%, IMD data shows.

For the winter season (Dec-Feb), IMD said that both day and night conditions are likely to be milder than normal over most of India, with less than usual number of days of extreme cold. Conditions in Dec are likely to mirror the warm trend, with night temperatures significantly higher than normal in the south, central-eastern states.

The forecast is contrary to expectations of a cold winter in line with the likely formation of La Nina conditions in the Pacific. "Even if La Nina sets in now, its impact on weather around the world, including India, will only be felt a couple of months later," said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, head of IMD.