GUWAHATI, Jan 13 � Unless a spell of rain lashes the NE region, there is apprehension that the present weather condition , which has brought down the mercury level in west and central Assam and the Barak valley, will continue the next 48 hours. Today the city recorded a maximum temperature of 16.7 degree Celsius and minimum of 10.6 degree Celsius.
A trough of low pressure on the surface running from the east central Bay of Bengal to central Assam on January 9 and 10 and a cyclonic circulation observed at 1.5 kilometre above the mean sea level over Bangladesh and its adjoining areas since January 10 till date are the factors triggering the present weather condition in the above areas, said Regional Meteorology Centre (RMC) sources here.
Together with the above two factors, the northerly/ north easterly winds are also contributing to the cool effect.
RMC sources said that the overall temperature scenario in Guwahati during the past few days revealed that the difference between the maximum and minimum temperatures has been reduced considerably by a foggy condition in the late night and morning hours, followed by the �stratiform� cloud practically covering the sky for most period of the day. These conditions reduced solar insulation as well as bring down the maximum temperature in the day hours.
The difference between the normal maximum and minimum temperatures during the first and second week of January is 13 degree Celsius�that is, maximum 23 degree Celsius and minimum 10 degree Celsius. But practically on January 10, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 25.1 degree Celsius with a minimum of 11.3 degree Celsius. The next day, it recorded a maximum of 16.2 degree Celsius and a minimum of 10.4 degree Celsius, that is a difference of 6 degree Celsius. On January 12, the city recorded a maximum temperature of 18.1 degree Celsius and a minimum temperature of 8 degree Celsius, that is the difference is 10 degree Celsius. The city recorded a difference of 6 degree Celsius between its maximum and minimum temperatures today.
It is pertinent to mention here that the city recorded a minimum temperature of 6.4 degree Celsius on January 18, 2007, which is the lowest minimum temperature recorded by the city since 1996.
