The Hindu : Front Page : More storms in the offing, says expert

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Friday, Oct 28, 2005

Front Page

Front Page

More storms in the offing, says expert

Vinson Kurian

Cites rising sea surface temperatures, atmospheric features

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: It is quite normal for the Bay of Bengal and for seas of the same latitude to warm up beyond the critical 26.5C during a one-month period — from August 15 to September 15.

Sea Surface Temperatures (SSTs) can shoot up by anything between 1C and 3C during this period, preparing the massive water bodies to host cyclones and other forms of severe weather systems, says Akhilesh Gupta of the National Centre for Medium Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF).

But raised SST levels alone will not be enough to whip up storms. "The seas may be willing, but if the atmosphere in the immediate neighbourhood doesn't play ball, no systems can evolve," Dr Gupta says.

But play ball it has this season, as is evident from the `east-west shear zone' that has prevailed for sometime now and the consistently low `vertical wind shear' values. These are two helpful atmospheric features that have aided the initiation and, most importantly, sustenance of sea-based weather systems this season. Vertical wind shear refers to the change of winds with height. At its lowest value, the wind shear will aid the formation of the systems.

Printer friendly page
Send this article to Friends by E-Mail

Front Page

News Update

Stories in this Section