The Hindu Business Line : Rains, snow break out in the northwest

Thiruvananthapuram, Jan. 16 A big snowstorm aligned in a southwest-to-northeast direction all the way from northeast Africa and straddling West Asia, Pakistan and Afghanistan, is touching off the country’s northwest border promising substantial weather for the hills and the adjoining plains.

The storm has already left a wet and snowy trail over Iran, the UAE, Oman, Afghanistan and Pakistan, but would get a shot in the arm as its southwest flank negotiates the tropical warmth arising from the Arabian Sea as it enters north and northwest India.

Western disturbance

The western disturbance, as it is called in these parts, has already hit the hills in the north and triggered snowfall and rain. It is forecast to be followed by more such rain-bearing pulses of varying strength, which are capable of stretching the snow and wet cover in the north and northwest to even parts in north-central and eastern India until the month-end.

The low pressure being generated is seen slowly drifting to east and central India in line with the movement of the parent system along the Himalayas. Thus, the weather activity may spread over to the Indo-Gangetic plains over the weekend and beyond, according to forecasts by the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF).

‘LOW’ MAY EMERGE

In between, the southwesterlies associated with the incoming westerly systems might just go to scoop up an upper air cyclonic circulation (may be even a ‘low’) over the Arabian Sea off the west coast. The prevailing wind regime could push the ‘low’ into east India and further beyond, giving a further fillip to the unsettled weather conditions. An India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecast on Wednesday said that a western disturbance is likely to cause fairly widespread precipitation over the western Himalayan region and isolated to scattered rain/thundershowers over the adjoining northern plains. Rain/snowfall is likely at many places over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, while it may be isolated over Uttarakhand during the next 24 hours, but the proceedings could get a leg-up thereafter.

RAINS FOR PUNJAB

Rain/thundershowers are also likely at a few places over Punjab, north Haryana and Chandigarh during the next 24 hours and intensify later on. Isolated rain/thundershowers are likely over west Rajasthan, south Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh from Thursday onwards. To the east, isolated rain/thundershowers are likely over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh.

The minimum temperatures are above normal by 1-2 degree Celsius over plains of northwest and central India with the western disturbance having steamrolled in. The current meteorological analysis suggests further rise in minimum temperature by 2-3 degree Celsius over the above regions during the next 48 hours and fall thereafter.