Haze and partly cloudy skies are being currently reported from Jaipur, venue for one of the two IPL cricket matches being played later this evening in weather-prone northwest India.

Hosts Rajasthan Royals take on Pune Warriors at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium at 4 p.m. under the not-so-benign eyes of prevailing weather.

There is a parent weather-setting western disturbance anchored over Jammu and Kashmir and an offspring cyclonic circulation lurking in the neighbourhood over northwest Rajasthan.

India Meteorological Department has forecast thunderstorms and thunder squalls for the plains of northwest India through the day.

Thunderstorms and likely precipitation are a distinct possibility towards the late evening/night. West-northwesterly is likely to be the predominant direction in which winds shall prevail during the day.

But a southwesterly to southeasterly component might build towards the evening, with a dash of moisture picked up from northeast Arabian Sea.

This is what is seen as capable of setting up thundery weather towards the evening.

>vinson.kurian@thehindu.co.in