heat wave is on... (am.20.may.13)>

The haze has really thickened up since last evening, but still there is sunshine early on this Monday morning, with continued low humidity (28%).  My overnight low here in the upper part of town was a warm 73.2F (22.9C).

It still looks like the chance of any measurable rainfall is very very low during the coming several days, as our huge ridge of summertime high pressure remains anchored from southern and central Pakistan into central and northern India.  The air mass is dry, stable, and increasingly hot -- and it's unlikely that there will be a significant pattern shift until maybe the latter part of the weekend at the earliest.

I picked a great time to be heading to Delhi (this evening), and as I mentioned last night, I'll be away until mid-July.  Looking forward to a long overdue trip to the US, but will miss keeping tabs on our always exciting transition from summer heat into the monsoon season!  You can still check here for occasional information and updates, though.

Stay cool if you can!

another milestone... (pm.19.may.13)>

Sunday's stats:

Early morning low temp: 71.1F (21.7C)
Afternoon high temp: 91.4F (33.0C)
Rainfall: none

Although there are very few clouds around, it has become quite hazy late this afternoon and evening.  Visibility is terrible south and southwestward into the valley as we approach sunset.  We've reached another summer milestone today, as my high temp on Tushita Road in the upper part of town surpassed 90F (32C) for the first time this season -- temperatures of this calibur only occur on a handful of days each summer season here in McLeod, on average.
 
The mega summertime high pressure ridge which has been gradually building across the Indian subcontinent during the past several days made another major push northward today, allowing temperatures to leap even higher into the heat wave category across a large part of north India.  It's very warm in the upper atmosphere as well, creating enough stability to keep cloud development at a minimum even during the afternoon over the mountains.  There is a very minor disturbance moving from northern Pakistan into Kashmir this evening, but at this point, it looks like it will have little effect on us.

This dry and stable pattern should remain the dominant weather feature throughout most of the new week.  The moisture content of the air is very low, and should stay that way... and apart from the haze (which may increase during the coming days), we should continue to see plenty of sunshine.  I see nothing to suggest that our temps will retreat from these seasonal and yearly maximums until perhaps the weekend, at the earliest.

You can check the CURRENT FORECAST on the tab at the top of the page.

-By the way, in less than 24 hours, I'll begin a journey back to the US for the first time in more than 15 months, for my parents' 50th wedding anniversary celebrations in June. Just letting you know that daily weather updates won't be happening until I return in mid-July.-

now ninety... (am.19.may.13)>

It is yet another 100% sunny morning, and already very warm just after sunrise since the overnight low temp has been 71.1F (21.7C).  We know that summer is definitely in full swing when the overnight temperatures stay above 70F!  Humidity remains low -- at just 28%.

Yesterday's high of 87.8F (31.0C) was the new peak for the summer season and the year, but we're not nearly finished with this warming trend.  It's probably going to be 90F (32.2C) here in the upper part of town this afternoon, which means it will be very near 100F (38C) in Dharamsala, and around 107F (42C) in Kangra.  And this heat doesn't look like it's going to be a short-term affair.  Extended range computer model data and upper-air charts are showing continued strengthening of this massive, sprawling high pressure ridge from southern Pakistan into central and northern India all throughout the coming week.  It would take a rather strong upper-level disturbance coming in from the west or northwest to change the pattern significantly, and there is no evidence of that happening.

Right now it appears that the atmosphere will remain too stable to be able to produce any shower or thundershower action at all during the next several days, but mountain effects can be fickle and unpredictable, so always be prepared if you're venturing way up high, just in case.  It's really good that we picked up all that rainfall last weekend, because we may see very little for the remainder of this month.

Check the CURRENT FORECAST tab above for details for the coming 5 days.

on the rise... (pm.18.may.13)>

Saturday's stats:

Early morning low temp: 68.5F (20.3C)
Afternoon high temp: 87.8F (31.0C) -- warmest of 2013
Rainfall: none

This post is very late, as compared to usual, but I just wanted to share the fundamentals, and update the CURRENT FORECAST which is located on the tab above.

Our summertime high pressure ridge definitely claimed its territory today, providing almost perfectly stable conditions -- even the afternoon clouds over the highest peaks of the mountains were kept at a minimum.  Low humidity and strong sunshine boosted my high temp in the upper part of town to its warmest of the season and the year, but it looks very likely that we'll continue to see temperatures rise over the course of the next several days, as genuine summer heat wave conditions settle in across nearly all of northern India, apart from the highest elevations.

Unless there are some shocking and unforeseen events with regard to this weather pattern, we're in line for a dry and hot week ahead...