Rain, winds, hail, snowfall likely over western Himalayan region

NEW DELHI: A fresh western disturbance, fifth in March, will affect the Western Himalayan region from March 23. The western disturbance and its interaction with low level easterlies will lead to fairly widespread rainfall, snow and thunderstorm accompanied by hail and gusty winds is likely over the Western Himalayan region on March 23 and 24.

Heavy rainfall is also likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit and Baltistan a nd Himachal Pradesh o n March 24. Light rainfall and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning, hail and gusty winds is likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, West Uttar

Pradesh and Rajasthan during to March 23 to 25 and with maximum intensity on March 24 and 25.

Interior Maharashtra is also likely to experience thunderstorm accompanied with lightni ng, hai l a nd g us t y wind between March 23 and 26 with maximum intensity on March 24 and 25 and over Gujarat on March 25 and 26.

Another WD is expected to impact the Western Himalayan region on March 27 which will again bring snowfall to the hills and light rain in the plains. “We are not expecting widespread rains in Delhi NCR and other northern plains.

Only some thunderstorm act i vi t y o r l i g ht r ai n. The impact will be moderate in the hills. Owing to the WDS maximum temperature will remain between 30 to 34 degree C this week,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre.

The maximum temperature is likely to drop by 2 to 3 degrees after the WD moves away in most parts of northwest India.