Fairly widespread rain or snowfall has been reported from Jammu and Kashmiruntil evening yesterday (Saturday) under the influence of the prevailing western disturbance.

The westerly system was traced to east Jammu and Kashmir and neighbourhoodon Sunday morning, an India Meteorological department (IMD) update said.

Now on the exit mode, the system is expected to continue to affect the western Himalayan region for another day until Monday, it said.

The westerly effect also fired up a prevailing trough to the east of the country, precipitating fairly widespread rain or thundershower over Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh and isolated over sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim over the past couple of days.

The causative upper air cyclonic circulation over Assam and neighbourhood persisted in the lower levels on Sunday.

A weather warning valid until tomorrow (Monday) said that isolated heavy to very heavy rainfall would occur over Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh.

Cherrapunji continued to be battered by some exceptionally heavy rains (32cm overnight on Friday) with 19 cm being recorded on Saturday.

Heat wave conditions have since abated from west Rajasthan, Saurashtra and Kutch. The heat has been compressed to central and east India.

Maximum temperatures are above normal by 3 to 5 deg Celsius over parts of Jharkhand and central India and by 2 to 4 deg Celsius over parts of Gujarat and the plains of northwest India.

For the first time this season, the highest maximum temperature of 43.2 deg Celsius was recorded at Hamirpur in Uttar Pradesh.

But short-term forecasts pointed to a fall in maximum and minimum temperatures by 1 to 2 deg Celsius over many parts of northwest and adjoining central India until Wednesday.

Satellite pictures showed the presence of convective clouds over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Uttarakhand and southeast Bay of Bengal.

Meanwhile, another upper air cyclonic circulation has sprung up over Punjab and neighbourhood.

Forecasts valid until Wednesday said that fairly widespread rain or thundershowers would occur over sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim and the Northeastern States. It would be scattered over Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

Scattered rain or snowfall has been forecast over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand until Monday and decrease thereafter.

An extended forecast valid until Friday said that scattered rain or thundershowers would continue to occur over the Northeastern States and the Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

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