Saturday, January 29, 2011

Sandstorm Hits UAE Dubai - 28th Jan 2011

Gulf News
1:30pm, W. Kashmir is under the influence of Western disturbance.. will continue for another 48 hrs. Rain/snow expected. http://ow.ly/i/7DY2
Chennai - 2:14pm is having a clear day with high of 28.3 C (12:40pm) and a low of 21.4 C (6:37am)
The present UAC over S-W Bay will travel in S-W direction.
Still IMD-GFS predicts showers for Entire tamilnadu coast from 1-Feb to 4-Feb... due to easterlies ... http://ow.ly/i/7DXK
Latest IMD-GFS predicts NO depression for S. Bay around 4-feb.
UAC seen over S-W Bay along S-E Srilanka coast ... and easterlies getting stronger ... http://ow.ly/i/7DXk
Low temperature conditions have brought cold injury to standing Rabi crops ... http://ow.ly/3Mqna
Western disturbance with better attributes could sail into the northwest around February 6 ... http://ow.ly/3Mqmx

Repeat westerly systems to bring rains for N. India


Arrival of a fresh western disturbance across the border is switch on weather yet again over northwest India, with rain showers being forecast over the weekend and into the next.
The western disturbance has already started affecting the hilly regions in the region, while the plains are expected to come under weather from Saturday, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) bulletin said.
Satellite pictures indicated the presence of convective (rain-bearing) clouds over parts of Jammu and Kashmir; and towards the south, over South Andaman Sea, South Bay of Bengal and South Arabian Sea.

IMD forecast
The IMD forecast said scattered rain or snow would occur over Jammu and Kashmir.
It will be isolated over Himachal Pradesh and Uttrakhand, but increase thereafter.
Scattered rain or thundershowers have also been forecast for Punjab and isolated rain or thundershowers over north Rajasthan, Haryana, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh.
The European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting has said that a follow-up western disturbance with better attributes could sail into the northwest around February 6.
This system would facilitate not just a second round of welcome rains for standing Rabi crops in the Northwest but also send in some piloting showers for east India and parts of the northeast.
This is even as international models see the possibility of isolated to scattered heavy showers along the Tamil Nadu coast and adjoining Kerala early next week.
The outgoing long-wave radiation (OLR) values are forecast to be growingly negative (indicating presence of clouds) northward from equatorial Indian Ocean. Southwest Bay of Bengal, Southeast Arabian Sea and the waters surrounding Sri Lanka could slip under cloud cover in this manner and the resulting rains penetrate extreme peninsular India.
This is a likely extension of the active Northeast monsoon conditions prevailing over the Gulf of Thailand upstream of Bay of Bengal.
A few models suggested that the rains may propel north along the Tamil Nadu coast as also into the interior besides adjoining Kerala. But the IMD has suggested the possibility of only isolated rains in the region.
The latest IMD agri-met advisory bulletin said that during the last week, minimum temperatures have ranged between 5 to 10 deg Celsius over most parts of northwest India; 11 to 15 deg Celsius over central, east and northeastern States; and above 16 deg Celsius over the rest of the country.
They were above normal by 2 to 3 deg Celsius over parts of east India and extreme south peninsula.
In Faridkot division of Punjab, low temperature conditions have brought cold injury to standing Rabi crops. Farmers have been advised to apply frequent and light irrigation to protect them.
In Gurdaspur and Hoshiarpur divisions, light irrigation may be applied to vegetables. Farmers in these states are advised to monitor the crops and arrange for smoke around the field to manage low temperature effect on crops.
Weather condition is favourable for sowing of summer groundnut in North Saurashtra region of Gujarat and potato in mid hills and lower regions in Himachal Pradesh.
‘Satellites to crunch Met data on board' ... http://ow.ly/3Mqls

Ice Covers Lake Baikal & Baikal Ice Marathon



Ice covered Lake Baikal in late January 2011, as snow coated nearby peaks. The Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) on NASA’sAqua satellite captured this natural-color image on January 24, 2011.
Ice on Lake Baikal is not at all unusual in January. The ice that forms on the lake is generally quite strong, even strong enough to support the weight of vehicles driving over the surface. Runners also rely on the ice to support their weight in the Lake Baikal International Ice Marathon.
Although the ice on Lake Baikal is often thick in January, the lake rarely freezes early in the fall. The lake’s considerable volume enables it to retain heat accumulated during the summer months throughout the autumn season. In extremely cold conditions, however, the lake may freeze as early as December.
Lake Baikal (also known as Ozero Baykal or Ozero Bajkal), is the world’s oldest and deepest freshwater lake. At roughly 395 miles (635 kilometers) long, with an average width of about 30 miles (50 kilometers), it is also the world’s largest freshwater lake by volume, holding as much fresh water as North America’s Great Lakes combined. Surrounded by mountains, the lake occupies a rift where parts of the Earth’s crust as wrenching apart. Geologists value the lake for what it can reveal about the development of ocean basins.
Baikal Ice Marathon

More on Baikal Ice Marathan visit ... http://www.absolute-siberia.com/en/pages/ice_marathon.html
RT @weathernetwork: Japan's Mount Kirishima volcano continues to spew ash. http://ping.fm/8l35L
RT @weathernetwork: Mount Bromo in Indonesia's Java spews ash, disrupting international flights to Bali. http://ping.fm/hKSsw
A piece of history :: monsoon had failed in 1965 and 1966 but revived well in 1967 ... http://ow.ly/3LPFH
3:30pm, Rain/snow over Kashmir, Cloudy over S. Tamilnadu and Heavy rain over S-W Srilanka... http://ow.ly/i/7C0x