Winter Fades Away: Jamshedpur’s Shrinking Cold Season Signals Climate Shift

Death of a season

Himadri Sarkar

They say, one has to pay a price for everything good or bad. Is this the price we are paying for rapid urbanisation by felling trees, filling green fields with soil and sand to build factories and urban infrastructure? Both have their plus and minus points and perhaps, are a necessity in today’s context. I am no expert to comment on weather changes over the years nor am I a forecaster of weather. What I am going to present here is what I have experienced in my lifetime — how weather has changed in the first quarter of this century in my city Jamshedpur with particular reference to the winter season. This season, my woollens along with blankets and quilts came out in mid-December. ACs and fans were switched off, we were getting ready to welcome winter which we eagerly look forward to annually. But to my utter surprise, I had to switch on my fan at midnight of 31st January as I felt uncomfortable, which practically suggested that the winter season was over sooner than expected. Starting from mid-December to the last of January meant winter lasted for only about 45 days. The trend was witnessed since the last 20-25 years in Jamshedpur but this year appeared to be the worst. Last few years the trend was winter set in mid-November and lasted till February end and summer set in from Holi festival.

Further, I distinctly remember during my younger days in the 1960’s when we used to witness night long JATRA at Contractor’s area Durga Puja ground where JGM Hospital is being constructed now. We used to take shawls and blankets with us in the month of October which is generally the month of Pujas, which effectively meant winter used live and stay here for about 5 months which is now being reduced to less than two months. How can one explain a temperature of 30°Celsius being recorded on 31st of January’25! As things stand today it is going to be worse in the coming years which are commonly described as Global Warming phenomena nowadays. Melting of glaciers at Arctica is another example. If this is not the death of a season then what is, with particular reference to plains like Jamshedpur and other parts of Eastern India?

(The views expressed are personal opinion of the author.)