At 16oC,Shimla faces the heat of global warming

The town recorded a day temperature of 16 degrees Celsius,almost six to seven degree more than normal temperature during winters.

“This could be the hottest day of winter in Shimla,” said Harvinder,a local resident.

The minimum temperature recorded last night was nine degrees Celsius,at least seven degrees higher than the normal night temperature.

Nagin Nanda,director,Environment Protection department,attributed the warmer climate to global warming.

“This is not a good sign and citizens should read the warning signals and join hands in mitigating the impact of climate change,” he added.

In towns like Sunder Nagar,Bhuntar,Solan and Dharamsala,the temperature was 0.8 degrees,0.4 degrees,0.2 degrees and 2.9 degrees respectively,one to four degrees below normal — another contrast to Shimla’s warmer conditions.

The minimum temperatures in Una,Mandi,Palampur and Nahan also stayed below normal at 3.4 degrees,4.0 degrees,3.5 degrees and 4.3 degrees,while the minimum temperature in plains of adjoining Deharadun district was close to Shimla at 8.5 degrees.

While areas like Manali and Kufri received snowfall,Shimla continued to disappoint many with bright sunshine. Towns like Amritsar with a minimum of 1.2 degrees and Chandigarh with 3.4 degrees were much colder than Shimla.

Delhi,Jaipur and Jammu also recorded a minimum temperature lower than Shimla. Locals recall that winter in Shimla is not as severe these days as it used to be till late 1980s. Earlier it used to snow a lot with extended spells of rains.