Data Since 1971 Shows Decrease In Cold Wave Events Over North India: Centre

Cold wave conditions have significantly decreased over northern parts of India in recent decades as compared to 1971-80, Earth Sciences Minister Jitendra Singh informed Lok Sabha on Wednesday.

Mr Singh said about 74 cold wave events were reported over North India as against six such events over South India in January 2023.

"Analysis of cold wave data since 1971 shows a decrease in cold wave events over North India," he said.

"It is seen that the cold wave conditions have significantly decreased over northern parts of India in the recent decades (2001 2020) as compared to 1971-80 decade," he said.

Mr Singh said it was generally agreed upon by the scientific community that climate change is contributing to more extreme weather events worldwide, including heat waves, droughts, and extreme cold conditions.

"However, the specific mechanisms through which climate change affects regional weather patterns can be complex and still require further research," he said.

Mr Singh said factors such as changes in wind patterns, cloud cover, and atmospheric moisture content can all contribute to changes in temperature and precipitation levels.

"Additionally, local factors such as urbanization and deforestation can further worsen the impact of climate change over the region," he said.

Mr Singh said it was observed that intense heat waves are experienced during El-Nino years and intense coldwave during La-Nina years.

Mr Singh said in general, Indian Summer Monsoon Rainfall (ISMR) is weaker than normal during the El Nino years and vice versa during La Nina years.

He said between 1951-2022, there were 16 El-Nino years, and below-normal rainfall was observed during nine of these years which indicated that there was no one-to-one association between El-Nino and ISMR.

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