HYDERABAD: After an unusually warm October, Telangana is witnessing a sharp change in weather, with minimum temperatures dipping to 12°C in parts of the state, bringing relief from the above-normal temperatures recorded during much of the previous month. Parts of the state woke up to chilly mornings on Wednesday, with Rajendranagar recording the lowest minimum temperature of 12°C, followed by Patancheru at 12.6°C, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad.
In other parts of the state, Medak recorded a minimum temperature of 13.4°C, followed by Adilabad at 13.5°C, Hanamkonda at 14°C and Khammam at 14.6°C. However, Khammam saw the sharpest drop below normal at 7.1°C, followed by Hanamkonda (6.2°C), Rajendranagar (5°C), Medak (4.2°C) and Patancheru (4°C). The cooler conditions come after an unusually hot and largely dry October.
During the first fortnight of last month, maximum temperatures across Telangana were between 2.2°C and nearly 5°C above normal. Bhadrachalam recorded a high of 37.3°C, while Mahbubnagar touched 37.2°C. Rainfall was also exceptionally poor. Telangana received approximately 12.7 mm against its normal October rainfall of 90.1 mm, a deficit of nearly 86%. The prolonged dry spell was interrupted towards the end of the month when Cyclone Arnab crossed the Andhra Pradesh coast, bringing heavy rainfall to eastern districts, particularly Khammam and Bhadradri Kothagudem.
Dry, cool weather in the offing
However, the spell was limited to that part of the state and insufficient to make up for Telangana’s rainfall shortfall.
Meanwhile, the latest November outlook presents an interesting contrast to the current conditions. The IMD has forecast above-normal maximum temperatures across most parts of the country, while rainfall is likely to remain below normal over much of the southern peninsula. Very strong El Nino conditions are also expected to persist through November and December.
Earlier, IMD Hyderabad meteorologists had indicated that Telangana could experience a warmer-than-normal winter, with temperatures around 4-5°C above normal.
The IMD has forecast dry weather across Telangana over the next three days, with minimum temperatures likely to remain 2-3°C below normal for the next two to three days. The cooler mornings, however, may not necessarily signal a prolonged spell of below-normal temperatures.