Four dzongkhags in the country recorded the highest rainfall last year.

Although Sarpang, Samtse, Phuentsholing, and Samdrupjongkhar witnessed the maximum annual rainfall, Phuentsholing recorded the highest 24-hour rainfall.

According to the state of the climate 2017, a report published by the national centre for hydrology and meteorology (NCHM) the need for climate information is urgent to manage the risks and uncertainties of changing climate to help build resilience in protection of the environment, protection against disasters and water resource management.

The publication is an initiative to deepen scientific understanding of weather and climate, deliver climate services from national to local scales, and provide climate information to support decision-making in the country.

According to the report the country received slightly above normal rainfall with most regions receiving above the average rainfall last year.  The country received 1916.29mm rainfall last year.

The normal rainfall is referred to long-term average rainfall from 1996 to 2016.

“Gasa experienced the highest number of rainy days with 217 days with rainfall greater than or equal to 0.1mm,” the report stated.

The annual average maximum temperature was 23.1 Degree Celsius and the annual minimum temperature was 11.6 Degree Celsius. Tangmachu in Lhuentse recorded the highest temperature with 36.5 Degree Celsius and the lowest was in Haa with -11 Degree Celsius. “Haa experienced more number of days with minimum temperature below zero compared to other regions with 129 days.”

For six months of the year, Punakha recorded a temperature above 30 Degree Celsius.

The report was released at the fourth annual National Climate Outlook Forum (NCOF) meeting on May 28. State of climate 2017 is the first report published on temperature and rainfall records of the previous years.

NCHM will publish the report annually.

Phurpa Lhamo

Advertisement