Over the past month and a half, Lucknowites have been revelling in a clean air and green atmosphere. This is perhaps the only good thing to come out as a result of the ongoing nationwide lockdown. A few days back, we took a deep dive into comparing the AQI last year to this year, in May.
The impact of natural causes and manmade vices that have led to a constant deterioration of nature and its elements, has also been the reason of the soaring temperatures during summers and other weather changes. A quick comparison of weather patterns from 2018 and 2019 compared to this year will give us a good look at what is going on in the environment.
The Lockdown Impact
It’s been more than 40 days since the people have been staying inside, that means less pollution, less encroachment of nature. The impact of this little change is huge as we can clearly see the drop in AQI in Lucknow and the whole country, the clear skies and showers of rain that relieve us from the heat and the overall pleasant weather.
In 2018, Lucknow felt harsh repercussions of global warming
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Fwp-content%2Fuploads%2F2019%2F08%2FiStock-824845572-1.jpg&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.ocregister.com&s=364&h=2ca9dfe0010e084c00b5128850f93ce2fa4e3ad16ae4d242360dcfb295c44e15&size=980x&c=952354380 photo_credit=”www.ocregister.com” dam=”0″ pin_description=”” photo_credit_src=”https://www.ocregister.com/wp-content/uploads/2019/08/iStock-824845572-1.jpg” crop_info=”%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Fwp-content%252Fuploads%252F2019%252F08%252FiStock-824845572-1.jpg%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.ocregister.com%26s%3D364%26h%3D2ca9dfe0010e084c00b5128850f93ce2fa4e3ad16ae4d242360dcfb295c44e15%26size%3D980x%26c%3D952354380%22%7D” expand=1] www.ocregister.com
While the threat of global warming was looming around since before 2015, 2017 and 2018 was when its effects were drastically noticeable. In 2018, we began experiencing the advent of hotter summers and less severe winters- a phenomenon that was recognized almost all over the world.
Summers in Lucknow can be an especially harsh deal. Back in 2018, the temperatures neared almost 50 degrees Celsius during the peak summer days. Even the winters in 2018 did not have the same chill and fog that previous years had prepared us for.
May 2019 was Lucknow’s second hottest month in 24 years
[rebelmouse-proxy-image https://media.rbl.ms/image?u=%2Frf%2Fimage_size_1200x900%2FHT%2Fp2%2F2019%2F06%2F01%2FPictures%2Fdelhi-weather-summer_2a423f74-83df-11e9-9ece-2ab1fd7d8c60.jpg&ho=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.hindustantimes.com&s=972&h=87d899550afad93ad31e1d1e176f6fa6a03ce61fc7bbb9c31840d754b9244597&size=980x&c=2716407084 photo_credit=”” pin_description=”” dam=”0″ caption=”” photo_credit_src=”https://www.hindustantimes.com/rf/image_size_1200x900/HT/p2/2019/06/01/Pictures/delhi-weather-summer_2a423f74-83df-11e9-9ece-2ab1fd7d8c60.jpg” crop_info=”%7B%22image%22%3A%20%22https%3A//media.rbl.ms/image%3Fu%3D%252Frf%252Fimage_size_1200x900%252FHT%252Fp2%252F2019%252F06%252F01%252FPictures%252Fdelhi-weather-summer_2a423f74-83df-11e9-9ece-2ab1fd7d8c60.jpg%26ho%3Dhttps%253A%252F%252Fwww.hindustantimes.com%26s%3D972%26h%3D87d899550afad93ad31e1d1e176f6fa6a03ce61fc7bbb9c31840d754b9244597%26size%3D980x%26c%3D2716407084%22%7D” expand=1]
2018 was the sixth warmest year ever since 1901 for India. Since 2018, things have only gone south and there is little we can do about it. In fact, May 2019 was the second hottest summer month for Lucknow in the past 24 years.
2019 was India’s seventh warmest year and Lucknow experienced hot, sultry and sweaty days. In the city, weather patterns all over the year took an unprecedented turn. In 2019, the average rainfall, the AQI, the heat and the winters were all way over the charts.
The summers had days with higher than the average expected temperature and the winters didn’t have the same chill in the air. Rainfall too took a drastic turn for the worse. However, rainfall condition did improve from 2018, even in parts of North India, including in Lucknow.
Knock Knock
When it comes to 2020, these problems haven’t exactly been eradicated. As the case is, things are taking a turn for the better as more and more people are staying within the confines of their homes. While this has had little impact on the weather patterns in Lucknow, the effects are certainly noticeable.
Hot, summer days are often graced by windy and rainy ones, making for a change of pace and a streamlined weather pattern. Winter 2020 is also expected to be colder than last year and the year before that.
