Bombay's deceptive climate
It is indeed deceptive to most 'locals' who on the contrary claim that they have a grip on it. You find people talking illogically about the climate patterns with an authority as if they are employed with the Mumabi Meterological Dept. Thats another point that the Met boys are always clueless about what hovers above their heads.
Lets examine ...
People say that it rains in May and will continue till August. Nothing in this is even remotely close to the truth. The truth is that the weather patterns have shifted. It starts raining only in mid-June. What we get prior to that is the pre-monsoon. Sometimes pre-monsoon rains also tend to be heavy giving people an impression that the rains have come.
Rains now continue till late October and an occasional "Cold November Rain". This is also due to the shift. The "legendary" October heat now comes in November and early December. The "winter" of Bombay now comes in January and February. In fact its now observed that it gets cooler than say 20 years ago. Temperatures touch 13 deg. celsius quite frequently. Its nothing to get alarmed , the way the press makes it out to be.
Summer infact starts April ... and till June. This is the time of heat and humidity which is now even more intense than the earlier years. Temperatures of 35+ during that time is rather common. In fact you only have to look at the quantity of sweat on people, to tell how hot or humid it is. Just travel in a bus or train and you will now. On cooler days people are relatively dry. You really dont need a temperature guage to tell you the number.
The other myth that locals swear by is the relationship between the high-tide and rain. They think that if its high-tide, its going to rain. Nothing further from the truth. Tides have no bearing on when it will rain. The tide only affects our disastrous drain system - which goes for a toss once its high tide.
A lot of this can be attributed to the global warming phenomenon. Temperatues around the world have defenitely incereased a degree and a half at least. Sea levels are on the rise. This has changed the climate patterns in most parts of the world, especially the tropics. And we are bang inside the tropics.
I have also seen that people are rather clueless about what the rain can do to them and what they themselves can manage to do in the rain. Before it rains, when its hot, they say we will go out for picnics when it starts raining. They conjure images of cool rains lashing their cottages, surrounded by lush greenery. A glass of whiskey in their hand. But when it does rain, they retreat. The intensity and destruction around leaves them helpless and they pray for it to stop raining.
Another folly made by people is that they can get things done the normal way when it rains. And when theyve made grandiose plans of doing this and that - it starts to pour. And then all plans go for a toss. They are not able to complete a fraction of what they had claimed they could do. All this since they dont understand the power of the rain.
About drinking water, they get worried that if the lakes dont get thier fill, then we are doomed. What they dont realise that the only way we can stay alive now is by conservation. If you see the way water is wasted - leaking main line pipes, people using showers for baths (why cant they use buckets) etc. If you control all these, you wont blame it on nature, that its not raining. Some buffoons in the past have gone ahead and tried some silly things like cloud seeding by spraying some silver oxide or some chemical in the clouds, so that it starts raining. I mean, stop trying to play God. Some others have performed yagnas and held prayer meetings - so that it will rain.
During summer they pray that it should rain else we will have water shortage and also that its getting too hot. It should rain in the catchment areas and what not. they get hell concerned about water. And when it rains they pray that it should subside since the rain has screwed them up royally right and left, due to their boisterous egos.
The thing is that people dont understand nature and the cimalte patterns. If one does, then life becomes more relaxed. For example always keep in mind that :
If it rains, it will pour.
If it pours, it will flood the streets.
If the streets get flooded, the transport will stop.
If there is knee deep water at Vakola, at Kurla it will be neck deep.
If there is knee deep water at Bandra, at Kurla it will be above your head.
If the flood waters rise, they will enter your house.
If flood water enters your house, it will damage property and cherished things.
If it pours, your house walls will leak.
If it rains, schedules will be thrown out of gear and things will slow down.
And lastly, dont ever beleive the Met boys. Always form your own conclusion of the forthcoming climate by observing the satellite picture that they give us each day. Assuming that its not a work of art by one of their over-enthusiastic staff members. At least they do something still.
So accept it that you can only be controlled by the climate and not the other way round. Best is to stay calm.
Just realise that, nothing lasts forever ....
... even "Cold November Rain". (Guns N' Roses)
Lets examine ...
People say that it rains in May and will continue till August. Nothing in this is even remotely close to the truth. The truth is that the weather patterns have shifted. It starts raining only in mid-June. What we get prior to that is the pre-monsoon. Sometimes pre-monsoon rains also tend to be heavy giving people an impression that the rains have come.
Rains now continue till late October and an occasional "Cold November Rain". This is also due to the shift. The "legendary" October heat now comes in November and early December. The "winter" of Bombay now comes in January and February. In fact its now observed that it gets cooler than say 20 years ago. Temperatures touch 13 deg. celsius quite frequently. Its nothing to get alarmed , the way the press makes it out to be.
Summer infact starts April ... and till June. This is the time of heat and humidity which is now even more intense than the earlier years. Temperatures of 35+ during that time is rather common. In fact you only have to look at the quantity of sweat on people, to tell how hot or humid it is. Just travel in a bus or train and you will now. On cooler days people are relatively dry. You really dont need a temperature guage to tell you the number.
The other myth that locals swear by is the relationship between the high-tide and rain. They think that if its high-tide, its going to rain. Nothing further from the truth. Tides have no bearing on when it will rain. The tide only affects our disastrous drain system - which goes for a toss once its high tide.
A lot of this can be attributed to the global warming phenomenon. Temperatues around the world have defenitely incereased a degree and a half at least. Sea levels are on the rise. This has changed the climate patterns in most parts of the world, especially the tropics. And we are bang inside the tropics.
I have also seen that people are rather clueless about what the rain can do to them and what they themselves can manage to do in the rain. Before it rains, when its hot, they say we will go out for picnics when it starts raining. They conjure images of cool rains lashing their cottages, surrounded by lush greenery. A glass of whiskey in their hand. But when it does rain, they retreat. The intensity and destruction around leaves them helpless and they pray for it to stop raining.
Another folly made by people is that they can get things done the normal way when it rains. And when theyve made grandiose plans of doing this and that - it starts to pour. And then all plans go for a toss. They are not able to complete a fraction of what they had claimed they could do. All this since they dont understand the power of the rain.
About drinking water, they get worried that if the lakes dont get thier fill, then we are doomed. What they dont realise that the only way we can stay alive now is by conservation. If you see the way water is wasted - leaking main line pipes, people using showers for baths (why cant they use buckets) etc. If you control all these, you wont blame it on nature, that its not raining. Some buffoons in the past have gone ahead and tried some silly things like cloud seeding by spraying some silver oxide or some chemical in the clouds, so that it starts raining. I mean, stop trying to play God. Some others have performed yagnas and held prayer meetings - so that it will rain.
During summer they pray that it should rain else we will have water shortage and also that its getting too hot. It should rain in the catchment areas and what not. they get hell concerned about water. And when it rains they pray that it should subside since the rain has screwed them up royally right and left, due to their boisterous egos.
The thing is that people dont understand nature and the cimalte patterns. If one does, then life becomes more relaxed. For example always keep in mind that :
If it rains, it will pour.
If it pours, it will flood the streets.
If the streets get flooded, the transport will stop.
If there is knee deep water at Vakola, at Kurla it will be neck deep.
If there is knee deep water at Bandra, at Kurla it will be above your head.
If the flood waters rise, they will enter your house.
If flood water enters your house, it will damage property and cherished things.
If it pours, your house walls will leak.
If it rains, schedules will be thrown out of gear and things will slow down.
And lastly, dont ever beleive the Met boys. Always form your own conclusion of the forthcoming climate by observing the satellite picture that they give us each day. Assuming that its not a work of art by one of their over-enthusiastic staff members. At least they do something still.
So accept it that you can only be controlled by the climate and not the other way round. Best is to stay calm.
Just realise that, nothing lasts forever ....
... even "Cold November Rain". (Guns N' Roses)
posted by Who's Blog - WGFA - CS | 10:13 AM
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