Nor’westers

Posted 22 Jun 2024

Updated 24 Jun 2024

3 min read

Why in the news?

India is working to develop its first research testbed to study Nor‘westers.

Aim: To study thunderstorms from the formation stage, growth, and propagation over eastern parts of the country covering a large area adjoining West Bengal, Odisha, and Jharkhand.
Control centre: It will be at Chandbali in Odisha's Bhadrak district (near Bhubaneshwar).
Agencies involved: India Meteorological Department (IMD), Indian Institute of Tropical Meteorology (IITM), Pune, and the National Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasting (NCMRWF), Delhi, will jointly develop and use this facility.
Features:
- Use of drones, mobile vans and high-end meteorological instruments to systematically track nor ’westers.
- It includes the tallest (100-metre) meteorological flux tower. It measures the exchange of carbon dioxide, water vapour, and energy between the biosphere and atmosphere.
Significance:
- Prediction: Data generated will aid in timely thunderstorm predictions, and issue nowcast warnings (an event in less than three hours).
- Disaster preparedness: It will aid the administration and give the locals additional time to prepare and equip themselves better.

They are local winds that affect the east and northeast regions of India every summer. They cause thunderstorms in the region.
In Bengal, it is locally known as “Kalbaishaki” meaning, calamity in the month of Baisakh (the first month in the Bengal calendar). Whereas, in Assam, they are known as “Bardoli Chheerha”.
Influence of Nor ‘westers on the region:
- Negative influence: They are notorious in nature and lead to destructive tornadoes, causing uprooting of trees and loss of property.
- Positive influence: However, they are extremely helpful for pre-kharif crops like jute, paddy, and a large number of vegetables and fruits. Also, a sudden drop in temperature gives relief after unbearable mid-day heat.

Other Local winds and their socio-economic influence
Name	Description	Influence
Loo	They are hot, dry winds blowing throughout the daytime in north and western India during the month of May and June. They are developed due to formation of the Monsoon Low Pressure Trough in northern India.	Negative influence: These winds cause loss of life due to dehydration. Positive influence: It facilitates the process of separating the chaff from the grain. There is also decline in number of insect-borne disease like malaria due to decrease in mosquito population.
Aandhi	Also known as ‘Kali Aandhi’, they are strong dust storms observed over north-western and Central India before monsoon.	They can cause destruction of life and property as well as add to the pollution of cities like Delhi.
Mango showers	They are pre-monsoon local rain-carrying winds which cause early showers along coastal Karnataka and Kerala.	They aid in early ripening of Mangoes, thus locally called Mango showers.
Blossom showers	They are pre-monsoon showers in late-summer in Kerala and adjacent areas.	They aid in blossoming of coffee flowers, having high commercial importance for the state.
Elephanta	They are strong southerly and south westerly winds blowing along the Malabar coast of India post-monsoon in the months of September and October.	They mark the end of southwest monsoon.