The western disturbance over north Pakistan and adjoining Jammu and Kashmir has on Sunday shifted bearing to over Jammu and Kashmir.

Scattered rainfall has occurred over Punjab, Assam and Meghalaya during the 24 hours ending Sunday morning, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) update said.

Isolated rains have been recorded over the rest of the northwest and east India in Arunachal Pradesh, west Uttar Pradesh, Haryana, north Rajasthan, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim.

UNDERGOES CHANGE

The western disturbance would continue to affect the western Himalayan region and adjoining plains during the next two days.

Meteorological features over the rest of northern half of the country that have implications for the southern peninsula, too, have undergone some change. This has brought isolated rains for Tamil Nadu, Andaman and Nicobar Islands and Lakshadweep overnight on Sunday.

An upper air cyclonic circulation induced by the western disturbance and lying over northwest Rajasthan and neighbourhood the previous day has shifted further to the east this morning.

The IMD located this system as lying over east Rajasthan with a trough thereon cutting a swathe right down to the south Tamil Nadu across west Madhya Pradesh and Karnataka.

WEATHER WARNING

The upper air cyclonic circulation over west Assam and neighbourhood, which had parented a south-bound trough until the previous day, held on to itself on a stand-alone basis. A counterpart circulation lain over Jharkhand and neighbourhood.

Satellite pictures revealed the presence of convective (rain-bearing) clouds over parts of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and the Andaman Sea.

Low to medium clouds were seen over parts of east, northeast, rest northwest and south peninsular India.

A weather warning issued by the IMD said that isolated thunder squalls would occur over Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, Orissa, West Bengal, Sikkim, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam and Meghalaya until Tuesday.

MERCURY TRENDS

Maximum temperatures changed little in the country overnight until Sunday morning.

They were above normal by 2-4 deg Celsius over parts of Andhra Pradesh and Tamil Nadu.

But they had dipped to below normal by 3-4 deg Celsius over parts of Assam and Meghalaya and by 2-3 deg Celsius over parts of Madhya Pradesh.

The highest maximum temperature of 40.6 deg Celsius was recorded at both Kurnool and Tirupathi in Andhra Pradesh.

A short-term forecast said that fairly widespread rain or snow would occur over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh while it would be scattered over Uttarakhand until Tuesday.

Fairly widespread rain or thundershowers would occur over the Northeastern States, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim and isolated over Bihar, Jharkhand, Gangetic West Bengal, and Orissa.

DUST STORMS

Isolated dust storms or thunderstorms would occur over Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh until Monday evening.

Scattered rain or thundershowers would occur over Kerala and isolated over coastal Andhra Pradesh, south Karnataka, Tamil Nadu, Lakshadweep and Andaman and Nicobar Islands.

An extended forecast valid until Friday said that fairly widespread rain or thundershowers would occur over the Northeastern States and scattered over east India.

Scattered rain or snowfall would occur over western Himalayan region and isolated dust storms or thunderstorms over the plains of northwest India.