Guwahati, Sept 28: With 2023 being the warmest year in the “Scotland of the East”, time has come to take adaptive measures to mitigate the risks posed by extreme weather events and shifting climate patterns.
The “Statement on Climate for the State of Meghalaya: 2023,” jointly prepared by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) and the Government of Meghalaya and published recently highlights data spanning over a century, providing critical insights into rising temperatures, erratic rainfall, and extreme weather events that have defined the state’s recent climate pattern.
The data used in the analysis is from 1901-2023.
The report reveals that 2023 is the warmest year since 1901. “Maximum temperatures soared to 1.72°C above normal, marking the second highest on record, while minimum temperatures were 0.53°C above normal, the fourth highest recorded. The mean temperature over the state was warmer than the average by +1.13° C thus making it the warmest year on record for the state since 1901” the report said.
All this becomes important with Sohra one of the wettest places on Earth registering its highest temperature of 33.1 ⁰C on September 22 breaking the 32.1 ⁰C temperature recorded on October 13, 2021.
The report says the maximum temperatures were above normal by 1.5 to 2⁰C, minimum temperatures were above normal by 0.5 to 10⁰C and mean temperatures were above normal by 1 to 1.5⁰C over most parts of the state.
The long-term data reveals a significant warming trend, with Meghalaya’s average temperature increasing by 0.67°C per century. This trend is more pronounced in terms of maximum temperature (+0.88⁰C/100 years) and relatively less pronounced in terms of minimum temperature (+0.46⁰/100 years.
The five warmest years on record in order for Meghalaya are 2023(anomaly+1.125°C), 2021(+0.956°C), 2022(+0.826°C), 2009(+0.806°C) and 2016(+0.743°C).
“Daily minimum temperature was above normal on most of the days during the year with its peak seen in February and December. Similarly, daily maximum temperature was also above normal on most of the days during the year with its peak seen in September and November” the report says.
Rainfall trends: Rainfall trends, however, were more complex, with some districts witnessing rising rainfall patterns while others saw reductions. While the state generally receives most of its rainfall during the southwest monsoon, some districts like South-West Khasi Hills saw large excess rainfall, while others, notably West Jaintia Hills, experienced significant rainfall deficiencies.
Out of 11 districts of the state for which data is available, 1 district (South-West Khasi Hills) received large excess rainfall (+60% or more of its 1971-2020 period Long Period Average(LPA), 3 received normal rainfall (-19% to +19% of its LPA) ,6 received deficient rainfall (-59% to -20% of its LPA) and 1 district (West Jaintia Hills) received large deficient rainfall (-59% to -20% of its LPA). The state received below normal rainfall on many days in July and September months and above normal rainfall on many days in June and August.
The state received large deficient and deficient rainfall during the winter and pre monsoon seasons respectively. However, during the monsoon, post monsoon season and year as a whole, the state received normal rainfall. Heavy (64.5-115.5mm), very heavy (115.6-204.4 mm) and extremely heavy (more than 204.4 mm) rainfall events were recorded over some stations of Meghalaya.
