Western disturbance to bring rain, snow to Himalayas; fog to disrupt north India

NEW DELHI: A fresh western disturbance is set to affect the Western Himalayan region, triggering a wet spell over the next seven days, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday. Isolated heavy rainfall and snowfall are likely over the Kashmir Valley on 22-23 January, with similar conditions expected over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on 23 January.

Dense fog conditions are also very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh during the next two to three days, which could disrupt road, rail and air traffic. The IMD has advised commuters to remain cautious and take precautionary measures, warning that poor visibility may lead to road accidents.

According to the IMD, isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall and snowfall are likely over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Muzaffarabad during 20-21 January under the influence of the western disturbance. The intensity is expected to increase thereafter, with fairly widespread to widespread rain and snow forecast over the Western Himalayan region during 22-26 January. Isolated heavy snowfall and rainfall are likely over the Kashmir Valley on 22-23 January, and over the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on 23 January.

In the plains, isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall is likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and west Uttar Pradesh during 22-24 January; east Uttar Pradesh on 23-24 January; and Rajasthan on 22-23 January.

The IMD has also warned of thunderstorm activity accompanied by lightning and gusty winds (30-50 kmph) over parts of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh during 22-26 January. Separately, thunderstorms with lightning are likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal on 24 January.

Meanwhile, minimum temperatures across large parts of the country are expected to remain largely stable in the immediate term, followed by a gradual warming trend, according to the latest outlook.

“Over northwest India, there is no significant change in minimum temperatures likely during the next two days. However, temperatures are expected to rise gradually by 3-5°C over the subsequent five days, signalling a gradual easing of cold conditions,” said a senior IMD scientist.

Farmers in Himachal Pradesh have been advised to apply light and frequent irrigation to standing crops in the evening hours to protect them from low-temperature stress or cold injury.

In central India, minimum temperatures are forecast to remain steady for the next two days, followed by a gradual increase of 2-4°C over the subsequent three days, after which temperatures are likely to stabilize.

Maharashtra is expected to see no major change in minimum temperatures during the next 24 hours. Thereafter, a gradual rise of 2-4°C over the following five days is likely. Across the rest of the country, minimum temperatures are not expected to show any significant variation in the coming days.

In the past 24 hours till 8.30 am on Tuesday, minimum temperatures ranged between 1-4°C at a few places in Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Temperatures of 5-9°C were recorded at many locations across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, and at a few places in Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh.

Isolated pockets of Odisha, Bihar, Manipur and Meghalaya also reported similar temperatures. Across the rest of the country, minimum temperatures remained at 10°C and above, except in the higher reaches of the Western Himalayan region, where temperatures dipped below 0°C. The lowest minimum temperature over the plains was recorded at 2.8°C in Amritsar, Punjab.