Experts looking at global climate models say there’s a good chance that February and March too will see below normal temperatures. As several parts of India reel under a cold spell, here's worse news: expect the rest of the winter to be colder than usual. Experts looking at global climate models say there's a good chance that February and March too will see below normal temperatures.

What seems to be loading the dice in favour of a cold winter is La Nina - a phenomenon better known in India for aiding good monsoon rains.

NEW DELHI: Soon farmers across the country can get their agriculture and weather-related queries answered quickly. The Indian government is planning to launch a spoken web service that will provide an interactive medium for the farming community. In a country where close to 60 percent of the 1.21 billion population still depends on agriculture for a living, the spoken web service can be a boon to farmers in distant areas.

Cold wave continued to wreak havoc in the North with the region recording below normal day and night temperatures with dense fog disrupting road, train and flight operations. As rain and snowfall aggravated miseries of the common man, reports claim the severe cold has claimed the lives of around 140 persons during this season so far.

If Monday saw Pune shivering at a 7.2° Celsius, Tuesday is expected to be colder still at 6° Celsius. In fact, the city’s lowest minimum temperature of7.2° this season on Monday morning was a good four degrees below normal. While predicting a further drop to 6° on Tuesday morning, IMD officials expected the minimumtemperatures to stay in the 6-8 degree band over the next three days.

A rapid rise in air pollution from fossil fuels and biomass burning has worsened winter smog and extended its duration in many parts of South Asia, scientists and officials have said.

In Bangladesh, India and Nepal the temperature has plummeted and clouds of fog and smoke hang in the sky blocking sunlight for several days.

Normal lives have been affected with many flights diverted and suspended and trains delayed because of low visibility.

Even as fog monitoring and analysis at the Indira Gandhi International Airport has improved significantly this season, with very few instances of flight diversions, the Indian Meteorological Department is now in the process of acquiring an Aviation Weather Decision Support System (AWDSS) that would help detect and predict weather hazards specific to the aviation industry and communicate minute-wise information to operational users.

This November, everyone wondered what happened to the winters. So far, the season has been rather lukewarm and promises to be so for the next month or so. With December already halfway through, are we headed for a shorter, warmer winter this time?

C.D. Thatte and D.K. Mehta are likely to submit report on December 26

Two technical members of the Empowered Committee — C.D. Thatte, former Secretary to the Ministry of Water Resources, and D.K. Mehta, retired Chief Engineer, Central Water Commission — will inspect the Mullaperiyar and Idukki dams from December 22 to 24.

Four earthquakes of “slight intensity” have been recorded in Idukki district of Kerala so far this year where the Mullaperiyar Dam is located, the Government said today.

“As per the India Meteorological Department (IMD), four earthquakes of slight intensity have been located by the National Seismological Network of IMD in Idukki district since January 1 this year,” the Minister of State for Water Resources, Mr Vincent H. Pala, told Rajya Sabha today.

He said magnitude of all the four earthquake ranged between 3.2 and 3.5.