Squalls, rain hit northwest India

NEWDELHI:SQUALLS at a speed of up to 80 km per hour, dust and hailstorms were reported from the National Capital Region of Delhi, Haryana as well as parts of Uttar Pradesh on Thursday because of an active western disturbance.

Western disturbances are low-pressure systems that generally originate over the Mediterranean region and are known to bring winter rain in India. Their intensity reduces in summer when they move to upper latitudes. The maximum temperatures have not risen in most parts of northwest India as they normally do around this time of the year because of consecutive western disturbances and associated clouds and strong winds.

A wind speed of about 72 km per hour was recorded around 5.45 pm at New Delhi’s Safdarjung observatory. “North Delhi, bordering areas like Ghaziabad and Noida, parts of Haryana recorded moderate dust storm activity and hailstorm in some places. We received reports of thunder, lightning and hail from Punjabi Bagh, Rajinder Nagar [Delhi] etc. This is mainly a result of the WD [western disturbance] and induced cyclonic circulation,” said Regional Weather Forecasting Centre head Kuldeep Shrivastava.

“There has been hailstorm activity in Telangana, Maharashtra and Uttar Pradesh earlier in the week,” said R K Jenamani, senior scientist at India Meteorological Department.

Maximum temperatures in most parts of north and central India are expected to rise from May 20. Under the influence of the WD, thunderstorm activity is likely over plains of northwest India in the next two days.