The Jharkhand capital recorded its highest minimum temperature — 17.6 degrees Celsius — on Sunday.

The minimum temperature recorded in Ranchi on the intervening night of January 9 and 10, was almost eight notches or 7.9 degrees to be specific, above normal.

“It was the highest minimum temperature recorded in Ranchi so far,” said Abhishek Anand, deputy director of Ranchi Meteorological Centre.

He said the earlier highest minimum temperature recorded was 17.2 degrees Celsius on January 3, 2015, and January 8 this year. This has prompted the meteorologists to believe that the impact of climate change was being felt more in recent years.

“The minimum temperature of Ranchi always remained below 10 degrees Celsius during the first week of January in 2018 and 2019. But it crossed that mark thrice in 2020 and five times in 2021,” Anand said.

The rise of temperature was due to a Western Disturbance that impacted the weather coupled with negligible speed of the wind, he added.

The minimum temperature of Ranchi never crossed 15 degrees Celsius in the first week of January in the two decades since 1980, while it crossed that mark 14 times during the next two decade till 2020, Anand said.

“The impact of Western Disturbances was not significantly seen during the two decades since 1980 but it became more frequent and visible during the next two decades,” he further said, adding that the impact of such climate change was felt in the entire state.

The minimum temperature is, however, likely to slide down from Tuesday night because the impact of the prevailing Western Disturbance would be over by then and the wind is also likely to pick up some speed, he said.

The night temperature will start sliding and is expected to touch 8 degrees Celsius in Ranchi by January 15, the Met office forecast.

It said the minimum temperature was expected to be the same (8 degrees Celsius) in some other districts such as Deoghar, Dumka, Giridih, Godda, Pakur, Sahibganj, Koderma, Chatra, Lohardaga, Palamau and Hazaribagh.

The four other districts, however, are likely to be colder.

While a minimum temperature of 7 degrees Celsius is expected in Simsega on January 15, in Jamtara, Ramgarh and Khunti, it is expected to slide down another notch to 6 degrees Celsius by then, the Met office said.