May 2020 was the coolest in last 10 years
   Date :01-Jun-2020

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By Kaushik Bhattacharya :
 
Only 8 days in the month witnessed maximum temperatures above 45 degrees C 
 
It is the end of May and the maximum temperature has already took a huge dip due to thunderstorm and rains in past couple of days. The highest maximum temperature in May this year has touched 47 degrees Celsius only once. Weather experts are calling it the coolest May in a decade. In May 2020, just eight times the mercury crossed the 45 degree mark which is the lowest in last 10 years. In May 2019, the maximum temperature recorded was 15 times above 45 degree Celsius.
 

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Normally, during ‘nautapa’, the maximum temperature records the highest temperatures of the season but this year it experienced a dip of seven degrees in just six days of this period. On May 25, Nagpur recorded 47 degree Celsius which was the highest maximum temperature of this season. Whereas, on May 30, the maximum temperature of Nagpur was 41.6 degree Celsius. The maximum temperature starts increasing after May 15 every year. But this year the temperature started increasing after May 21. In the first 15 days of May this year the maximum temperature hovered around 40-42 degree Celsius most of the time. Crossing 45 degree Celsius is very common for the people of Nagpur but this time just eight hot days in May is unusual for everyone.
 
Due to many Western Disturbances (WDs), the month of April also recorded coolest and wet month in last many decades. This year Central India received highest 120 per cent pre-monsoon rains that reduce the temperature all over the region. However, the cyclone Amphan brought back the moisture that were present in the atmosphere.
 
Due to this, weather experts were predicting some delay in South West Monsoon. The WDs brought a lot of rain to Central India; there is also moisture incursion in Central and North-East India from the Bay of Bengal, which has been bringing good rains in the pre-monsoon season. According to IMD’s rainfall data, between March 1 and April 26, 13 states have recorded ‘large excess’ of rains (60 per cent above normal).