India witnessed drastic shift in weather patterns in March: Here’s what happened

This March India logged some of the most significant and drastic shifts in weather patterns when compared to the historical averages. According to the data from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), the first two weeks of March 2023 were among the hottest while in the second half of the month, the country witnessed some of the coolest days.

According to a report by Hindustan Times, the temperature by the end of the second half of the month was enough to possibly put the whole month in the top 10 coldest moths of March in the past 73 years or so. Towards mid-March, an earlier-than-usual development of anti-cyclonic circulation in India brought what could be one of the earliest and most significant heatwaves in India.

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This comes as between March 13 and 19, temperatures in the plains of North India were at least 10 degree Celsius above normal, while it was up to 15 degree Celsius in the Himalayan states. Meanwhile, the temperature was above normal by at least five to 10 degree Celsius in the rest of the country.

However, India recorded its average maximum up to March 29 at 30.35 degrees Celsius, as per the data from IMD gridded dataset, reported HT, which was 0.96 degrees below the 1981-2010 average for this time period and was also considered usual by the weather agency. However, March was also the 12th coolest since 1951, the first time that IMD gridded data and also the complete opposite of its preceding month which was the 13th warmest since over seven decades ago.

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Notably, the IMD did not forecast the month of March to be a cool one as by the end of February the weather agency said that it is expected to be warmer than usual. However, after the first two weeks temperatures climbed down in most parts of India and on average each day has been at least 1.3 degree Celsius cooler than normal, reported HT.

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The report attributed two possible two active western disturbances, cyclonic circulations over Rajasthan and a region of low pressure over the south and east central part of India, citing IMD data. Additionally, the westerly winds of over 100 km/hr along with the moisture from the Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea due to anti-cyclonic circulation there led to sustained rainfall, thunderstorm, and even hailstorm.

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