New Delhi: Most parts of India are expected to experience above-normal temperatures and below-normal rainfall in February, following a warmer and drier January, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said Friday.
The rainfall in February is likely to be below 81 per cent of the long-period average (1971-2020) of 22.7 mm.
IMD Director General Mrutyunjay Mohapatra said most parts of the country are likely to receive below-normal rainfall, except for some areas in west-central, peninsular and northwest India.
Minimum temperatures in February are expected to be above normal in most regions, except in some parts of northwest and peninsular India.
Similarly, maximum temperatures are likely to be normal to above normal in most areas, except in parts of west-central and peninsular India, Mohapatra said.
He said India received an average of 4.5 mm of rainfall in January, making it the fourth lowest since 1901 and the third lowest since 2001.
The country’s mean temperature in January was 18.98 degrees Celsius, the third highest for the month since 1901, behind 1958 and 1990.
India also recorded its warmest October since 1901, with monthly mean temperatures nearly 1.2 degrees Celsius above normal. November ranked as the third-warmest November in 123 years, behind 1979 and 2023.
Earlier, the IMD predicted that the rainfall in north India between January and March would be below normal, at less than 86 per cent of the LPA of 184.3 mm.
Northern and northwestern states like Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and Uttar Pradesh cultivate rabi crops, such as wheat, peas, gram and barley, in winter (October to December) and harvest them in summer (April to June).
The winter rainfall, mainly caused by western disturbances, is crucial for the growth of these crops.
PTI
