So far,December warmer than November

Over the last three days,the city has been hotter than the last week of November. Temperatures have been three degrees above normal and all dry cleaned cashmere shawls and blazers remain tucked in cupboards. While nights are colder,the afternoons are warm and many move about without any woollens on.

While it should be 24 degrees Celsius during the day and 8 degrees Celsius at night,the mercury reads 27 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius.

A week ago,the temperature was 22.7 degrees Celsius and 10.2 degrees Celsius owing to cloud cover.

Bikram Singh,one of the Directors of India Meteorological Department,however,said the departure of three degrees is nothing to be worried about and it is part and parcel of weather.

“The rise in the temperature is the result of the combined effect of western disturbances over Jammu and Kashmir and the lack of winds,” he said. “We will see a slight decrease in the temperature in the next 48 hours.”

The maximum temperature over the last three days has already crossed the record for 2005,2006 and 2007,when mercury hovered around 26 degrees Celsius. But people can take heart in the fact that it has been hotter than this — the December of 1987 recording 29.3 degrees Celsius.

While last month,the temperature was below normal for twelve days,this month the temperature has been three degrees above normal for the last three days. On Sunday,the maximum temperature was recorded at 27 degrees Celsius,the minimum was 11.9 degrees Celsius.

The temperature rise is a pan-India phenomenon with parts of north Rajasthan,West Madhya Pradesh and north-eastern states experiencing temperature of upto 4 degrees above normal.

cooler days ahead

A western disturbance crossing over Jammu and Kashmir is leading to the formation of moisture in the atmosphere of the surrounding areas. The moisture increases the minimum temperature,as it keeps the heat from disseminating in the atmosphere. The days will get cooler in the next 48 hours.