KATHMANDU, Jan 5: The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology (DHM) has projected below-average rainfall across Nepal during the current winter season.
Meteorologists have said that this trend will most likely push temperatures slightly above normal levels nationwide.
Winter likely to bring little rain and warmer conditions, meteo...
Winter usually contributes about 3.5 percent of the country’s annual precipitation, averaging 60.1 millimeters of rainfall. However, DHM officials say precipitation this winter is likely to remain lower than usual, a pattern already evident in December and expected to persist through February 28.
The reduced rainfall is likely to influence temperatures across the country, including in the Kathmandu Valley. Meteorologist Binu Maharjan of DHM said it is highly unlikely that temperatures in the Valley will drop to zero degrees Celsius or below this winter. “Temperatures across the country are expected to remain slightly higher than average,” she noted.
According to DHM, Kathmandu has not recorded zero or sub-zero temperatures for the past four years. Environmentalists also attribute the warming trend in urban areas to high levels of air pollution, which trap heat and contribute to the formation of dense smog, a mixture of smoke and fog. One can now easily notice the thick level of smog above the cityscape which was not common just a decade ago.
Regionally, DHM forecasts indicate below-average rainfall in Sudurpaschim Province, average rainfall in northern Karnali Province, and average rainfall in northwestern Gandaki Province.
Central Sudurpaschim, southern Karnali, Lumbini, Gandaki, most of Bagmati, central Madhes, and western Koshi provinces have a 55–65 percent chance of receiving below-average rainfall. Southwestern Sudurpaschim, northern Lumbini, central Gandaki, central Bagmati, eastern and western Madhes, and central-southern Koshi provinces face a 45–55 percent likelihood of reduced precipitation. The remaining areas have a 35–45 percent chance of experiencing below-normal rainfall during the winter season.
