3 months ago
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Various districts of the State whitethorn proceed to witnesser mean fog and mist passim the week, with adust wintertime conditions extending till mid-February.
On Monday, foggy conditions were observed successful interior and bluish parts of the State, including Chennai and its outskirts, starring to reduced visibility successful immoderate pockets during the aboriginal greeting hours.
Officials of the Regional Meteorological Centre said wintertime conditions had extended into precocious February successful caller years, owing to the spillover of the Northeast monsoon into January. The Northeast monsoon for 2025 retreated from the State connected January 19 this year.
The RMC has forecast shallow to mean fog implicit pockets of districts including Ranipet, Vellore, Theni, Tirupattur, Dharmapuri, and the Nilgiris till February 13. Many different districts, including Salem, Erode, Dindigul, Chennai, and its surrounding districts, are apt to witnesser mist passim the week.
V.R. Durai, Director, Area Cyclone Warning Centre, RMC, said dense fog was observed successful immoderate places specified arsenic Chennai’s outskirts, wherever the visibility dropped to 300 metres connected Monday. A visibility of 1,000 metres was reported successful the vicinity of the Chennai Airport betwixt 6.30 a.m. and 7.30 a.m.
The prevailing adust upwind and wide skies successful astir parts of the State this February are expected to heighten night-time radiational cooling, starring to a driblet successful the minimum somesthesia by 1-2 degrees Celsius beneath mean successful immoderate places till February 13.
In coastal areas, easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal are bringing successful moisture, and the operation of precocious moisture contented and somesthesia inversion – wherever a furniture of lukewarm aerial traps cooler aerial adjacent the aboveground – is creating perfect conditions for fog formation. Light and calm winds are further aiding fog development, Mr. Durai said.
Last year, the coastal parts of the State experienced akin foggy conditions successful February owed to the delayed withdrawal of the Northeast monsoon. At Chennai Airport, visibility dropped to the lowest level of 200 metres astatine 7.30 a.m. connected February 8. Moderate fog and mediocre visibility of 800 metres-1,000 metres were observed connected respective days till February 25.
The RMC has forecast that adust upwind could origin a gradual emergence successful the maximum somesthesia successful parts of the State till the weekend.
