KNOW COLD WAVES AND PREVENTION FROM IT

“KNOW COLD WAVES AND PREVENTION FROM IT”

What are cold waves & their causes?

A cold wave is a weather-based event of nature that is differentiated by the cooling of the air. A quick fall in temperature within twenty-four hours is termed a cold wave. Generally, the difference in temperature from the normal temperature is considered as the base of the

Measurement of the cold waves. Resulting in the formation of the large cool air masses caused by movements of air streams Cold waves are typically capable of occurring at any geological location. It is the cold waves that are responsible for the cooler temperatures in most of the world in comparison to icebergs, blizzards, or snow.

The most common period of the occurrence of the cold waves is mid-December to the end of February. A sudden temperature fall by a minimum of 2 to 4 degrees celsius gives rise to a cold wave.

According to the IMD, the drop of mercury to 10 degrees celsius in the plain region indicates the occurrence of cold waves.

How do they affect us & our lives?

some of the most significant issues associated with cold waves are

• Heavy snowfall can give rise to traffic chaos which leads to a rise in the number of accidents especially when people are not aware of the road conditions.
• The homeless, people who must spend time outdoors for work are the vulnerable ones to the cold wave effects.
• The cold wave can negatively impact the safety of aviation operations in the below manners:

1. Ice and frost accretion on the critical external surfaces of an aircraft.
2. Extremely cold temperatures can stress the metal aircraft surfaces.
3. Vehicle batteries get strained and diesel fuel gels in extremely cold weather can harm ground operations, etc.

• As per a report of WHO, Coronary heart disease, cerebrovascular accidents, and respiratory diseases are the most common causes of death that occur due to the cold waves.

What triggers a cold wave in India?

According to the IMD, Consistent winds are required to trigger a fall in temperature & the factors that bring cold waves to India include the following:

• Movement of cold air masses brought by upper-level winds.
• Strong westerly winds approaching northwest India transporting cold air towards the southeast direction and no covers over Northwest Himalayas also spur the creation of a cold wave.
• A build-up of an extended area of relatively high pressure over northwest Asia also bring cold waves.
• According to a statement of IMD, whenever a western disturbance affects north India, winds in lower levels over the region are either from the Arabian Sea or from both Bay of Bengal and the Arabian Sea. Due to the presence of moisture in both air, a development in the rise of the minimum temperature is observed. Parallelly, the formation of clouds over the region results in less solar insolation into the earth leading to the decline in maximum temperatures.
• The formation of an anti-cyclone in lower and mid-tropospheric levels is also responsible for cold waves that give rise to fading motion over the Indo-Gangetic plains resulting in a fall in minimum temperatures.

What caused the cold wave last winter in India?

In January 2021, the La Nina condition which is a natural event caused due to the cooling of the Pacific Ocean coupled up with western disturbances, brought in rains and snowfall resulting in a sharp decline in temperature and a long breakdown of cold in northern and central India, including Delhi.

History of cold waves in India

We are already going through severe cold conditions. As per the stats, India witnessed more than 90 cold wave days last year, which is relatively lower than 2019.

Officially, the Coldwave alerts were started to be issued by the IMD only since the winter of 2016. However, IMD traces its footprints back to 2009 causing the number of deaths.

India’s Core Cold Wave Zones are Punjab, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Telangana.

A report of IMD tells that the number of human deaths in the year 2020 due to cold waves was 76 times more than those were due to heatwaves. Though this fact can’t also be ignored the country was under lockdown for months due to the coronavirus disease (COVID-19) pandemic.

But the report has this data too that there has been a nearly 2.7 times increase in the number of cold wave days from 2017-to 2020.

Observing on the state level, the North-Indian state Uttar Pradesh recorded eleven days of cold / severe cold waves in 2021. Which witnesses the dynamic & rapid changes in climatic conditions of the globe.

Major-general Manoj Kumar Bindal, executive director of the National Institute of Disaster Management (NIDM) has stated that India found the year 2012 as a disastrous year in terms of cold wave, but still no great action plans are there to cure many of the cold wave-prone states like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jammu, and Kashmir.

Current Status of Cold Waves in India

According to a bulletin of IMD, in the last three days, Odisha has witnessed a sharp drop in temperature by 5-6 degrees at several places in its western and southern parts & and by 4 -5 degrees across coastal, however, the cold wave finally subsided on Friday. It also stated that there will be a gradual increment in the minimum temperature by 2-3 degrees Celsius across the state in the next two days.

The IMD added that western disturbances are likely to remain active and, hence, rain can be expected in several parts of the country in December’s last week and the first week of January.

Yellow alert for northwest India

The Meteorological department also issued a Yellow alert for the Northwest region of the country especially Delhi, Haryana, and Punjab. During the Yellow Alert, the IMD has predicted dry northwesterly winds of about 10-15 kmph likely to continue to prevail over plains of Northwest India till December 21, which will further enhance the adverse impact of cold waves and cold day conditions.

We need to formulate a cold wave action plan as soon as possible since according to a forecast by Bloomberg, North India may witness the acute cold winter due to the La Nina that has been emerging in the Pacific Ocean. The new forecast warns of a forthcoming La Nina effect that will lead to a major decline in temperature across north India in January, February 2022.

What preventions we should take to protect ourselves?

It is said,” The prevention is better than cure” henceforth we must take proper precautions to prevent the effects of cold waves. Following are the few preventions we can take account of

• Try to wear enough & adequate winter wears that too in layers as according to science The air gets trapped between two layers of warm clothes. Air acts as an insulator of heat. This layer prevents our body heat to escape from our surroundings. More layers of thin clothes will allow more air to get trapped and as a result, we will not feel cold. So wearing more layers of clothing during winter keeps us warmer than wearing just one thick piece of clothing.
• Don’t go out unnecessarily as the less you will come in contact with these cold waves the lesser you will get affected.
• To keep your body warmer from inside keep drinking hot drinks and avoid cold drinks in any form.
• Save yourself from taking bath with cold water & avoid doing so in the early morning & late nights even with the warm water.
• Keep taking track of weather reports since Cold waves are forecasted by modern weather forecasting with which they can disseminate useful warnings to prevent traffic accidents.

This is how we can save ourselves from the cold wave effects.