Southcheck Network
Hyderabad: As winter drew closer and temperatures began to drop, people in Telangana have brought out sweaters and mufflers to battle the increasing chill.
Reports emerged that Telangana is experiencing a cold wave after a public health advisory was issued by the State government on Wednesday.
The advisory, shared in an X post by the commissioner of Health and Family Welfare and NHM, Government of Telangana, named Telangana as one of the ‘Core Cold Wave Zones’ in India. (Archive)
Citing the advisory, many began to claim that a cold wave is predicted to hit the State soon. As per the latest data, a temperature of 12.7°C in the Adilabad district and 12°C in Medak is setting the tone for the type of weather the State can expect in the coming weeks.
Did the Telangana government warn of a cold wave?
SouthCheck reached out to the Telangana Health and Family Welfare Department regarding the tweet, and the department said that the advisory was sent to them from the National Programme for Climate Change.
They said that the advisory was not intended to be a warning about any cold wave; it was a general advisory which also contained health-related information useful for the public.
Dr Dharmaraju Akasapu, a scientist at the Meteorological Centre in Hyderabad, confirmed to SouthCheck that Telangana is not experiencing a cold wave currently.
“We have not issued any bulletin regarding the cold wave in Telangana. Even though there has been a gradual drop in the temperatures since the 18th of this month, the conditions to classify this as a cold wave as per the Indian Meteorological Department have not been met.”
What is in the climate advisory?
The public health advisory shared on X has the National Programme on Climate Change and Human Health (NPCCHH) logo on it. According to the advisory, Telangana is one of the seventeen States classified as ‘Cold Wave Prone Regions’ which may experience the highest number of cold waves.
The advisory also defined a ‘cold wave’ and its impact on health such as hypothermia, frostbite, immersion, chilblain and the do’s and don’ts in case of a cold wave.
According to the advisory, the maximum number of cold waves in India occur in Jammu and Kashmir, followed by Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Bihar, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh.
The public advisory did not include a frost or cold wave alert for Telangana. It only named Telangana as one of the cold wave-prone regions.
What is a cold wave?
A cold wave is a weather phenomenon experienced when there is a sharp drop in the temperatures. It can lead to a steep rise in air pressure, high wind speeds and hazardous conditions like frosting and icing. The criterion for the weather conditions to be classified as experiencing cold waves differs from plains to hilly or coastal areas.
According to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD), the criteria for defining a cold wave are:
- For plains, when the minimum temperature at a station is 10°C or less, or when the minimum temperature is recorded to be 4.5°C to 6.5°C less than the normal range.
- For hilly areas, the minimum temperature at a station has to be 0°C or less.
- For coastal areas, the minimum temperature has to be 15°C or less and the temperature recorded to be at least 4.5°C less than the normal.
- If the minimum temperature is recorded to be less than 6.5°C than the normal range, then it is classified as a severe cold wave.
The Hyderabad Meteorological Centre provided further clarification regarding the declaration of cold wave phenomena. When temperatures meet the IMD criterion for only one day, it is considered a cold day, whereas a cold wave will be announced if the low temperatures continue on day two.
Is Telangana experiencing frost?
Frost is formed when the temperatures fall below 0°C.
A minimum temperature of 12.2°C was observed in Telangana’s Adilabad, according to the IMD Telangana daily weather report dated from Wednesday. Hence, there is no frost condition in Telangana.
Is there a forecast for a cold wave in Telangana?
According to IMD Telangana minimum temperature forecast, for the next five days, the State will experience temperatures over 15°C. However, Adilabad, Komaram Bheem, Mancherial, Medak, Nirmal and Sangareddy districts might experience temperatures in the range of 11°C to 15°C.
These temperatures do not satisfy the IMD’s criterion to define a cold wave.
The IMD Telangana in its weather report for November 15-28 has stated that minimum temperatures are likely to be below normal. However, there was no alert in the weather report of a cold wave.
How were conditions during the previous winter in Telangana?
Indian Express has reported that last year’s winter season in Telangana was relatively warmer.
The report quoted the head of the IMD’s Meteorological Centre, Kopparthi Naga Ratna as saying, “There was not a single day of a cold wave condition and the lowest minimum temperature recorded for the season is 8.5 degrees Celsius in Adilabad.” (Archive)
The Siasat reported that in 2024 January, Hyderabad experienced its warmest January night in 40 years at 19.4°C (Archive). The Times of India has also reported that the winter season was cut short as temperatures soared to 36°C one into February (Archive).
