Telangana braces for summer woes as winter retreats; IMD warns of El Nino effect
Weather experts predict scorching temperatures similar to 2023 as mercury begins to rise across the state, which witnesses a wide diurnal range
It’s only January, and many parts of India are still waking up from the winter siesta. But in Telangana, the alarm bell for a gruelling summer has already started ringing. Weather experts have cautioned that the state is expected to witness higher temperatures in 2026, with indications that the heat this year could be worse than the scorching summer that was experienced in 2023, causing hardships.
El Niño, which was also responsible for the harsh weather three years ago, will also be responsible for what turns out this year, Met officials have said.
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Dr E Dharmaraju, a senior scientist at the India Meteorological Department (IMD), Hyderabad, confirmed to The Federal that the summer of 2026 could see higher temperatures due to the El Niño effect. IMD officials also said that 2026 could be a warmer year than 2025.
What is El Niño
According to USGS, El Niño (Spanish for "The Little Boy") is the warming of the ocean surface, or above-average sea surface temperatures, in the central and eastern tropical Pacific Ocean region.
The surface winds at low altitudes, typically moving from east to west along the equator (referred to as "easterly winds"), may weaken or, in certain instances, reverse direction to blow from west to east (known as "westerly winds").
There is an irregular pattern in El Niño's occurrence, from two years to a decade, and no two events are identical. El Niño events can disrupt normal weather patterns across the globe.
The cold spell in Telangana has gone down since Friday (January 16) due to the influence of northwesterly winds, and the mercury is gradually heading north. The IMD also said that intense heatwaves during the summer may delay the onset of the monsoon, adding to people’s woes.
IMD officials stated that the lowest temperature that Telangana recorded on Saturday (January 17) was 10.2 degrees Celsius in Patancheru on the north-western outskirts of the capital city.
High and low temperatures across Telangana
The highest temperature recorded on the same day was 31.6 degrees Celsius in Khammam city.
Other maximum temperatures recorded were 29 degrees in Rajendranagar, 29.4 in Patancheru, 29.8 in Hayathnagar, and 30.3 in Ramagundam. The other high maximum temperatures recorded were 31.1 degrees Celsius in Nizamabad, 30.3 in Adilabad, 29 in Bhadrachalam, 30.6 in Hakimpet, 30.8 in Dundigal, 30 in Hanamkonda, 30.8 in Hyderabad, 30.9 in Mahbubnagar, 30.2 in Medak, and 31 in Nalgonda.
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The lowest temperatures recorded in the state on Saturday were 11.7 degrees (Celsius) in Adilabad, 18.4 in Bhadrachalam, 14.8 in Hakimpet, 14.7 in Dundigal, 12 in Hanamkonda, 14.2 in Hyderabad, 14.8 in Khammam, 16.5 in Mahbubnagar, 11.6 in Medak, 17 in Nalgonda, 15.3 in Nizamabad, 13 in Ramagundam, 13.6 in Hayathnagar, and 11.5 in Rajendranagar.
These figures clearly suggest that Telangana is caught between an extreme diurnal temperature range at the moment, as it frantically transitions from winter to summer.
'Dry weather to prevail across Telangana'
Dr K Nagarathna, director of IMD Hyderabad, told The Federal that dry weather will prevail in Telangana state for a week starting Saturday. However, the centre also said that the northern and central parts of Telangana will see foggy mornings over the next couple of days.
What private weather experts say
Hyderabad Rains, which posts weather updates on social media platform X, meanwhile said on Friday that cold wave conditions were expected to continue for the next three weeks or so, even as winter is nearing its end. It said the mercury could drop to 10 degrees on the outskirts of Hyderabad and around 12-13 degrees in the city’s core areas.
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T Balaji, a weather enthusiast who posts on X under the handle Telangana Weatherman, confirmed both the high and low temperatures that Telangana is experiencing at the moment. In a pinned post titled ‘SUMMER 2026 PRELIMINARY FORECAST’, he said El Niño is nearing, and the second half of the summer in May and the first half of June, is likely to be drier with massive heatwaves. He added that the first half of summer – from the second half of February till April – will be rainy with normal heat.
“This year summer will be similar to 2023. Late monsoon likely this year,” he said.
In another post, he made forecasts about decent cold spell over the next 10 days.
“Temperatures to start dropping from tonight again with 12-14°C expected by tomorrow morning in Hyderabad City and also West Telangana. Enjoy the decent winter chill for next 10days, though day temperatures will be normal around 29-30°C,” he said in the post.
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Such a forecast could sound rattling for the landlocked state, which is still relishing the departing winter. But with experts raising alarm well in advance, precautions should be taken both by the government and the common people so that they can tackle the challenges of a demanding summer well.
(This story was first published in The Federal Telangana)
