Kathmandu, October 17

The Department of Hydrology and Meteorology has forecasted that Kathmandu Valley is unlikely to witness frigid winter this year.

With the withdrawal of monsoon season last week, the Valley’s minimum temperature has been continuously decreasing and the downfall in mercury is a call for winter season.

The department’s Meteorological Forecasting Division said winter season in the country would be affected due to the development of La-Niña in Southern American Ocean and the temperature would not fall to zero degree Celsius this winter.

Usually minimum temperature of Kathmandu Valley dips to around zero degree Celsius during the peak time of the winter season.

“Unlike the normal winter seasons, this year the Valley won’t record peak minimum temperature up to 0 degree Celsius due to La-Niña so this year’s winter might be comparatively warmer,” Samir Shrestha, Meteorologist at the division told The Himalayan Times.

He said the La-Niña was heading to the Asian region from Southern America. According to the division La-Niña impacts were opposite to La-Niño impacts, in which the ocean remains hotter than the land, and the climate remains comparatively hotter during La-Niña.

“The MFD’s winter prediction has been prepared on the basis of La-Niña’s formation and development, and there is a chance of normal cold winter rather than a severe one this year,” said Shrestha.

During a La-Niña event, the changes in Pacific Ocean temperatures affect the patterns of tropical rainfall from Indonesia to the west coast of South America. These changes in tropical rainfall patterns affect weather patterns throughout the world.

These effects are usually strongest during winter months when the jet stream is strongest over the United States. La-Niña episodes in the winter months feature a wave-like jet stream flow across the United States and Canada, which causes colder and stormier than average conditions across the North, and warmer and less stormy conditions across the south.

MFD has recorded continuous decrease in minimum temperature since the past couple of weeks. The division recorded 15.4 degree Celsius minimum temperature today whereas 25.5 degree was recorded 19 days ago on September 28 last month.

Shrestha added that the temperature has been gradually falling from around 34 degree to 28 degree Celsius so far.

The temperature will be stable at 18 to 19 degrees during the peak of winter season in the Valley.