Friday, July 6, 2012

official declaration... (am.06.jul.12)>

It has been mostly clear overnight, but as the sun comes up, skies are becoming partly cloudy.  I've recorded a low temp of 67.3F (19.6C), and there has been no new rainfall since last report.  The total since late Tuesday morning remains at 5.02" (12.8cm).

In case you missed it on last night's post, the IMD (India Met Department) has now declared Monsoon 2012 "official" here in the Dharamsala area.  Check the MONSOON WATCH tab above for details, map links, etc.  Ironically, since our official onset declaration, things have actually been very quiet.  This is just a temporary situation, however, as deep tropical moisture/high humidity remains in the lower levels of the atmosphere... we're just waiting for instability to build up again, which will lead to rapid development of more moderate to heavy showers.  Of course today is HHDL's 77th Birthday, so many people gathering at Tsuglakhang will be sensitive to weather conditions -- be aware of the potential for rapid and dramatic changes as the day wears on.

Once monsoon season hits its stride, it is pretty normal to pick up an average of 1.0-1.5" (2.5-3.8cm) of rain per day, and it looks feasible that we could end up with those kinds of averages over the course of the next several days.  I'll be keeping a running total/average, and will let you know how things are shaping up.  In the meantime, take advantage of the sunny breaks, as they will probably become fewer and further between as we move deeper into July...

FRIDAY:
sunshine giving way to increasing clouds and some fog at times.  shower and thundershower development likely.
high: 24C (76F)

FRIDAY NIGHT:
partly to mostly cloudy with occasional fog, rain and thunder.
low: 19C (67F)

SATURDAY:
mostly cloudy with a few periods of fog, rain and some thunder.
high: 22C (72F)

SUNDAY:
mostly cloudy and foggy at times.  more rain and thunder likely.
morning low: 19C (67F)
daytime high: 22C (72F)

MONDAY:
clouds and fog, along with a period or two of sun.  a couple of rounds of showers and thundershowers likely.
morning low: 19C (67F)
daytime high: 23C (74F)

TUESDAY:
a mix of clouds, fog, and peeks of sun.  a few showers/thundershowers in the area.
morning low: 20C (68F)
daytime high: 23C (74F)