Global and local winds in Nepal

     Today I decided to look into Nepal's location and how it relates to global winds. Nepal lies at a longitude of 26.5333° N and, a latitude of 86.7333° E in the northern hemisphere. In terms of atmospheric cells, Nepal is in the Hadely Cell. The North East trade winds or the "tropical easterlies" blow across the country. This brings on winter monsoons. Nepal lies in-between the subtropical high pressure belt and the equatorial low, however an area of low pressure resides in Nepal. Being landlocked in the tropic of cancer, Nepal is located just below the horse latitudes.

 

 

 

                                

 

 Nepal has wet summers and dry winters being located in the Tropic of Cancer. Nepal's location is unique being located in-between a pocket of sinking air and rising air. Asian monsoons are brought on in the summer time due to the thermal low located just above Nepal. Warm air from the Indian ocean flocks to the thermal low, creating heavy precipitation during the summer season. On the other hand, in the winters are fairly mild because of the Siberian high located above Nepal in January. The north-east trade winds blow in the leeward across the country.

Nepal has substantial mountains, including Mt. Everest the tallest mountain in the world. The Himalayan mountain range extends across the country from the eastern edge to the western edge, also called the Parbat region in Nepali. When thinking about mountain breezes they are usually associated with the katabatic wind, Chinook wind, the Santa Ana winds, mountain breeze, and valley breezes. Due to Nepal's many valleys and major  mountain region, it experiences all these winds, except for the Santa Ana winds. The two winds associated with the ocean are the sea breeze and the reverse of that which is the land breeze. Nepal does not experience these, due to being a landlocked country.

 

 

 

Typical Weather and Tourism in Nepal

 

     In today's post I will be addressing Nepal's seasonal and astronomical events, as well as some tourism tips. First I'll start off by taking a look at a winter solstice, which is the onset for winter and marks the shortest day of the year. Due to being in the Northern Hemisphere Nepal's winter solstice takes place on December 22nd at 4:48 AM (NPT). As observed by the  Nepal Bureau of Standards, Weather Meteorology,  in 2005 the average maximum temperature in  December is 70 degrees F. On the other hand, the average minimum temperature is 35 degrees F. Light rain, and drizzle are usually expected at this time in December. The average precipitation in December is 1mm.

    

     The summer solstice, or otherwise called the June solstice takes place on June 21st at 4:36 PM (NPT) local Nepalese time in Kathmandu. Summer solstices mark the longest day of the year, and begin the onset of summertime.  The tilt of Earth's semi-axis is most inclined towards the sun at this point in the year. Since, it's one of the more hot months June's average maximum temperature is 84 degrees F. Keeping it pleasant the average minimum temperature gets down to only 66 degrees F. In June it rains 26 days out of the month coming in at an average rainfall of 129mm. Along with the humidity during this month it can get muggy on the rainy days. 

    Nepal's Spring equinox occurs on March 20th, at 10:42 PM (NPT). This is a time when tourists flock to Kathmandu due to a average maximum temperature of 75 degrees F, and a average minimum of 46 degrees F. The days in March get 8-9 hours of sunshine making it a pleasant time to visit Kathmandu. The average precipitation during March is 5mm, raining 10 days out of the month. This is also an amazing time to visit due to the Holi festival influenced by the neighboring country of India. It is a religious holiday where colored powders and water are thrown all over the towns at people and things celebrating children.

   Reining in the fall season the autumnal equinox took place on September 23rd at 8:14 AM. The average maximum temperature is 80 degrees F, and the average minimum temperature is 63 degrees F during the month of September. It rains about 168mm throughout the month, marking the end of monsoon season, but still continuing to rain. This is also a good month to hike with the lessening humidity and heavy cloud cover.

Come to Nepal and reach new heights!

 
        Going more into the tourist aspect of things versus the data of the seasons, it's best overall to visit Nepal in the springtime for the best visuals of the land. During this time the national flower blooms creating a beautiful landscape. There are also clear views of the mountains during this season. However, if trekking is the reason you are in Nepal Autumn is also one of the best times because of its crystal clear skies, mild temperature, and is a season for festivals in Kathmandu. During autumn and spring hot air ballooning is a popular tourist attraction. Due to the clear skies, breathtaking views of Kathmandu valley and the Himalayan region can be seen. Not too keen on heights? Not to worry, there are plenty of national parks and wildlife reserves to keep you busy on the ground. Koshi Tappu wildlife reserve is popular for bird watching wetland species.


    

Temperature controls in the city of Kathmandu in Nepal

    Nepal's landlocked position in South Asia poses many possible and interesting climate change possibilities. Since ocean currents and proximity to the ocean are out of the picture, I will be focusing on altitude, latitude, and wind direction, and geographic position as temperature controls. Nepal's capital Kathmandu lies at the latitude of 27° 43' 0" N and a longitude of 85° 19' 0" E.  The warmest month is June and it's average temperature is 74.6°F. Even though it's one of the hottest months June can be a pleasant time to visit versus the winter time. The coldest month in Kathmandu is January with a monthly average temperature of 50.1°F. Based on this information I concluded that the annual range of temperature is 24.5°F.  source
    One temperature control that impacts Kathmandu is it's geographic position. First, Nepal itself is landlocked, and Kathmandu itself is a valley. This causes cold air to accumulate, and the valley floor is heated during the day. The warm air rises at night causing a wind through the valley cooling the average temperatures. The Kathmandu valley is bowl shaped rising 4,238 ft. above sea level, and the Shivapori, Phulchowki, Nagarjun, and Chandragiri mountain ranges surround it. On the other hand, a temperature control that doesn't affect Kathmandu is ocean currents. Due to it's high elevation and being surrounded by India and China. Although several rivers run through the valley, it's not nearly as large of an effect as ocean currents running along the coast of a country.
   Like much of South Asia in general Kathmandu is subject to global warming climate changes in the future. This would imply heat waves, droughts and extreme weather events. source The nearby Himalayan glaciers could potentially melt and flood the Ganges river. However, this is very hypothetical due to recent studies stating that as of present the Himalayan region has remained unchanged, or even grown more. Due to Kathmandu's high altitude and summers full of monsoons, heavy precipitation and flooding are potential extreme events. source
   In conclusion, my research on Kathmandu's temperature controls, and potential climate change have opened my eyes to how elevated the capital actually is. In addition, I discovered that Kathmandu is a valley, and is the most popular city for tourists. As a whole, Kathmandu is a very intricate valley with interesting temperature controls as opposed to flat land.