Heavy rain, high winds seen as rare ‘low’ spins up over south Rajasthan

Vinson Kurian Updated - January 24, 2018 at 09:03 PM.

Spurt in violent weather is being forecast variously in the form of snow, rain, thundershowers, hailstorm and high winds for large parts of the country for the next couple of days.

The sweep of area being covered by the weather can be judged from areas where convective (rain-triggering) clouds stand tall - Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Madhya Maharashtra, Comorin Sea, southeast Arabian Sea and south Bay of Bengal.

Peak Weather

Northwest India is bracing to witness peak weather activity thanks to the possibility of formation of a rare low-pressure area over south Pakistan and adjoining southwest Rajasthan.

Not all western disturbances passing through northwest India are expected to send out a circulation that matures into a low-pressure area over Indian territory.

This is quite unprecedented if one were to look at recent history when many a winter gives way to northern hemisphere spring, just as it is doing now.

Weather systems ratcheting up closer to this intensity could be expected to form over Afghanistan-Pakistan, given the comparatively higher latitudes and system intensity.

They normally let out most of the steam as they cross into northwest India, but not this time round.

‘Low’ Developing

A full-blooded ‘low’ is what one is expecting to see develop over southwest Rajasthan as early as by tonight/tomorrow morning, according to India Met Department.

The parent western disturbance is standing guard over Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan. It has sent down the potent cyclonic circulation now lying spread-eagled over southwest Pakistan and adjoining southwest Rajasthan, very close to northwest Gujarat.

It is expected to lower itself further down into the ground to set up the low-pressure area, a rarity not just under given circumstances but also for the geography under reference.

Not to be mistaken, it would also interact with the seasonal easterly winds from the opposite direction and originating from the Bay of Bengal.

Interactive Weather

This type of interaction is the most productive weather phenomena in terms of badly needed rainfall that farmers look forward to, including during the monsoon and other seasons.

But not necessarily during this time of the year, which is what brings out the irony starker than what actually it is.

Expectedly, the interactive weather would do to the region and the surroundings what it is normally known to others where they are welcome and commonplace.

As for today (Saturday), the Met had already forecast thunderstorms accompanied by hailstorm for Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, and Madhya Maharashtra.

Weather warning

More is to come on Sunday onwards. Here is the outlook:

Sunday: Thunderstorm/hailstorm for to continue over these regions and spread progressively to east India in line with the track of the western disturbance and the weakening ‘low.’

The affected areas would be Bihar, Jharkhand, hills of West Bengal, Sikkim, Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh, Madhya Maharashtra and Telanagana.

Heavy rain and snow over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh. Heavy rain over Punjab, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

Monday: Heavy rain over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Kerala.

Published on March 14, 2015 11:58