- Delhi records 21°C, lowest September temperature in 24 years.
- Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh experience early September snowfall.
- Weather system caused widespread rain, dropping temperatures across North India.
September has yet to end, but northern India is already witnessing chills, with the minimum temperature in Delhi dropping to 21 degrees Celsius on Sunday, the lowest reading in the month in nearly 24 years.
Meanwhile, the mountains in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh have also received snowfall for the past two days, an occurrence too early for September. The weather pattern has left people speculating if winter is arriving early this year.
However, the weather department has not indicated such a possibility. The fall in temperature and snowfall are all because of the weather system that brought incessant rainfall across India recently.
What Uttarakhand snowfall suggests
Uttarakhand and the Himalayas have received snowfall thrice in the final days of September, which is considered a good sign. Although snowfall occurs in the Himalayan region during both monsoon and winter seasons, climate change and rising surface temperature leave less time for the snow to settle on the ground and freeze.
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This has led to a shift in snowfall pattern, where rainfall occurs below 4000 metres of elevation while snowfall occurs above that. Therefore, increased snowfall in September is a good sign, but the surface warming remains a matter for concern.
What's behind the temp drop?
The deep depression that was formed in the Bay of Bengal lasted for a very long time. As it coincided with the retreating monsoon, the strengthening westerly winds helped the weather system to sustain its activity.
This led to widespread rainfall across Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Madhya Pradesh, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Telangana and Andhra Pradesh.
The persistent and widespread rainfall affected temperatures across Uttarakhand, Delhi, Rajasthan and Haryana, while persistent cloud cover prevented sunlight, bringing mercury down in these areas.