NEW DELHI: An approaching western disturbance is set to bring more heavy rain and thunderstorms to Northwest India, with peak activity expected over the next two days starting Monday.
According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), thunderstorm activity will persist over northwest Indian states of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Rajasthan and Haryana until Wednesday, May 31.
“The most intense activity is expected over the region on May 29 and May 30, as a fresh western disturbance approaches on the night of May 29,” an IMD official stated.
The capital city of Delhi will experience cloudy weather following the rainfall, with temperatures ranging between a maximum of 35 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 25 degrees Celsius.
A western disturbance is a non-monsoonal precipitation pattern driven by westerlies – prevailing winds that blow from the west at midlatitudes. Originating in the Mediterranean region, it brings sudden rain to the northwestern parts of India.
The IMD has also predicted heavy rainfall at isolated places in Rajasthan and Kerala.
Additionally, hailstorms accompanied by thunder squalls and lightning, with speeds of 50-60 kmph, are expected at isolated places in Uttarakhand. Lightning with similar speeds is anticipated in Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, West Rajasthan, and Gilgit Baltistan and Muzaffarabad in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.
In regions such as west Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, and east Rajasthan, thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and squalls with speeds of 50-60 kmph are very likely at isolated places. Isolated areas in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh may experience lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph.
There will be lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 30-40 kmph at isolated places in Odisha, Vidarbha region of Maharashtra, Kerala, and Mahe and Karaikal in Puducherry. Lightning is also expected at isolated places in Andaman & Nicobar Islands, Gangetic West Bengal, east UP, Chandigarh, Delhi, Punjab, Gujarat, Telangana, Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, and Lakshadweep.
Despite the El Nino effect, the IMD has forecasted that the country will receive normal rainfall during the crucial southwest monsoon season.