The Hindu Business Line : Rains spill into plains as new system brews

Widespread snowfall has occurred over the west Himalayan region during the past 24 hours ending Wednesday morning while scattered rain and thundershowers lashed the plains of the northwest.

Back-to-back western disturbances spawned by the big South Asia snowstorm brought rain to most places over Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir and at a few places over Uttarakhand and west Rajasthan, while it was isolated over Haryana.

The prevailing western disturbance as an upper air system over Jammu and Kashmir and neighbourhood is moving away northeastwards. The embedded cyclonic circulation over west Rajasthan and neighbourhood persists. The two systems are likely to move eastnortheastwards.

FRESH SYSTEM

Meanwhile, a fresh western disturbance as a low pressure area lies over north Pakistan and neighbourhood. It is expected to move into northwest in another two days and is likely to throw up a cyclonic circulation that will be put on moisture feed from the Arabian Sea.

Forecast by India Meteorological Department (IMD) for the next 24 hours said rain/thundershowers are likely at many places over Uttarakhand, Haryana, Punjab, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir, and isolated over Uttar Pradesh. South Rajasthan will stay mainly dry.

The ongoing enhanced precipitation activity is likely to continue over the western Himalayan region over the next two days. Night temperatures are likely to fall by 3-4°C over plains of northwest India and Rajasthan from Thursday with the arrival of the cold northwesterlies.

HEAVY SNOWFALL

A warning valid for the next 48 hours said scattered heavy to very heavy snowfall is likely over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh. According to Mr Jim Andrews of AccuWeather.com, above-normal rainfall and snow will stretch in a broad swath (northwest to east-northeast) between the cold and tropical warmth over India and the Arabian Sea.

Forecasts by the US National Centres for Environmental Prediction (NCEP) said the ongoing precipitation and wet weather in the north and northwest would continue, though less reassuringly and in varying intensities, till January 24. Weather events ranging from sporadic cloud bursts (over Himachal Pradesh /Punjab/Haryana) and light thundershowers in the plains will be the major highlights during the period.

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