New Delhi/Lucknow, March 15 – Parts of northern India, particularly the plains, received light rain accompanied by thunder in the past 24 hours, providing relief from the recent heat.
Many areas of the national capital experienced drizzle in the morning, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) reporting 8 mm of rainfall by 8:30 am.
"Due to a western disturbance approaching the western Himalayas, cyclonic activity has developed over central Pakistan bordering Punjab and Haryana. As a result, parts of Delhi experienced rainfall," said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President of Meteorology and Climate Change at Skymet Weather.
According to IMD data, Safdarjung and Lodhi Road recorded 0.8 mm of rainfall each, while Palam recorded 0.4 mm. Ayanagar recorded 2.6 mm and Pitampura 3.5 mm, the highest among the stations.
Palawat said that rain is expected again the next day, and this is the first pre-monsoon rain of the season, arriving about 10 days earlier than usual.
Uttar Pradesh also experienced light rain and a drop in temperatures in several parts of the state.
According to the Meteorological Centre in Lucknow, the weather system caused by western disturbances is expected to remain active until March 16, after which conditions are likely to be dry on March 17 and 18, leading to a slight rise in temperatures.
However, another active western disturbance is likely to affect the region from March 19, bringing a fresh spell of rainfall starting from western Uttar Pradesh and spreading to several parts of the state until March 21, which may again bring temperatures close to normal levels.
Meanwhile, the IMD has forecast moderate thunderstorms with lightning and light to moderate rain over parts of Gautam Buddha Nagar, Bulandshahr, Hapur, Ghaziabad, Meerut, Baghpat, Bijnor, Muzaffarnagar, Shamli and Saharanpur districts and adjoining areas.
The IMD has also warned of thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph across the state, while isolated places in eastern Uttar Pradesh may experience hailstorms.
Rajasthan also experienced a brief spell of light showers on Sunday, with the local weather office saying that weather conditions across the state are expected to remain largely dry on March 16 and 17.
However, a fresh and strong western disturbance is likely to become active over the region between March 18 and 21, bringing the possibility of thunderstorms, gusty winds with speeds of 40-50 kmph and rainfall at isolated places.
The impact of the western disturbance is expected to be the highest on March 19 and 20, when parts of the Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions may experience thunderstorms, strong winds and rain at some places, the weather department said.
Meanwhile, a few areas in the higher reaches of Kashmir, including the Gulmarg tourist resort, received fresh snowfall, while the plains were lashed by rains on Sunday, officials said.
The upper reaches of Gulmarg, including Apharwat and Kongdoori bowls, received snowfall, which continued until the last reports came in. Pir Ki Gali, along the Mughal Road in Shopian district of south Kashmir, and Sonamarg Zojilla axis also received fresh snowfall.
The snowfall on the Zojilla Pass forced the closure of the Srinagar-Leh national highway, the officials added.
The wet weather has brought down the day temperature across the valley.
The Met office said that another wet spell is likely on March 24-25, with light rain or snow in the higher reaches, at scattered places.
Like J&K, Himachal Pradesh received snowfall in the higher-altitude regions in Kullu and Lahaul and Spiti districts, while Shimla and its surrounding areas experienced a thunderstorm, accompanied by hail and rain.
Bhuntar recorded 12 mm of rain, followed by Mandi and Manali with 8 mm each, Kufri with 7 mm, Solan with 6.4 mm, Shimla with 6 mm, Sundernagar with 5 mm, Dharamshala with 3 mm, and Kangra with 2 mm. Kalpa and Neri received 1.8 mm each, while Jubberhatti recorded 1 mm.
Dark, convective clouds covered the sky, significantly reducing visibility in some areas. The upper hills of Manali, including the Atal Tunnel, saw light snowfall.
Videos of tourists enjoying the snow near the tunnel have been circulating widely on the internet.
The snowfall has brought joy to tourism stakeholders, as the combination of snowfall in the hills and a heat wave in the plains during the holidays is expected to boost tourist footfall in the region. However, a perceived disruption in the supply of commercial LPG cylinders has been a concern.
The Shimla meteorological office forecast light rain and snow in the state until March 21.
In the past 24 hours, a heat wave was noted in Nahan, which recorded a maximum temperature of 30.2 degrees Celsius on Saturday afternoon and was hottest during the day on Sunday with 28.7 degrees Celsius. In contrast, Tabo was the coldest location at night, with temperatures dropping to 1.4 degrees Celsius.
A fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from the night of March 17.