Rain, snowfall continue to lash Kashmir for second day: MeT
North India witnesses light rain due to western disturbance
Srinagar/ New Delhi: Rains in plains and snowfall in higher reaches continued in Kashmir for the second day on Monday as the fresh spell of precipitation has brought down the rainfall deficit by nearly five per cent, officials said here.
Light to moderate rains lashed most parts of the Kashmir valley while some mountainous areas experienced another spell of snowfall on Monday, the officials said.
They also said that there is a possibility of widespread rainfall or snowfall in the next 24 hours in the Union Territory.
The rain and snow over the past two days have dropped the precipitation deficit for March in Jammu and Kashmir from 50 per cent to 45 per cent.
The intensity of the weather system is expected to be moderate, but heavy rain is possible in some areas, the officials said.
The department also advised farmers to suspend all farm operations till Tuesday.
The weather is expected to improve from Tuesday, but there are chances of a brief spell of rain on April 1 and 2, the MeT said, adding that spells of light rain and snow at isolated to scattered places are possible from April 3-7.
Meanwhile, several states in north India witnessed rainfall while parts of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh reported snowfall for the second day in a row.
Parts of Delhi received light rain on Monday evening, bringing relief after the city reeled under a warm day with temperatures hovering around 35 degrees Celsius and humid conditions through the afternoon.
Rainfall activity picked up across Delhi between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm, with Safdarjung recording 0.5 mm, Palam 0.2 mm, Lodi Road 0.7 mm, Ridge 0.2 mm, Ayanagar 0.6 mm, Pusa 0.5 mm and Janakpuri 0.5 mm, while Mayur Vihar recorded 1.0 mm rainfall, the highest among all stations.
Under the influence of a fresh western disturbance, strong winds swept several parts of Rajasthan, including Jaipur. Many places witnessed light rain.
In Uttar Pradesh, Aligarh and Agra experienced light rainfall. The state capital Lucknow recorded a maximum temperature of 37.4 degrees Celsius and a minimum of 22.0 degrees Celsius. However, Banda was the hottest place in the state, where the mercury touched 41.4 degrees Celsius, followed by Prayagraj at 40.5 degrees Celsius.
Experts attributed the conditions to a western disturbance and an associated cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan, which led to rainfall over parts of Delhi, Haryana, Rajasthan and western Uttar Pradesh.
While mild snow continued in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. Keylong received 2 cm of snow while intermittent rains lashed a few areas in the middle and lower hills. The local met office has predicted a wet spell in the state till April 5 as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from April 2. The met also issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds in five districts on Tuesday and ten districts on Friday.
The day temperatures hovered close to normal limits in Haryana and Punjab, a day after parts of the two states received rain.
Chandigarh, the common capital of the two states, recorded a maximum temperature of 31.9 degrees Celsius, according to the Met.
Meanwhile, most parts of Jharkhand are likely to experience light to moderate rain, accompanied by thunderstorms on Tuesday. The IMD has issued an ‘orange’ alert (be prepared) in five northeastern districts – Bokaro, Dhanbad, Jamtara, Dumka, and Pakur – for hailstorms, while a ‘ yellow’ alert (be updated) has been sounded in the remaining 19 districts for thunderstorms.
