Northwest stays wet, hail storm breaks out in east

Vinson Kurian

Thiruvananthapuram, March 31  Northwest India witnessed rain or thundershowers at a number of places during the 24 hours ending Monday morning even as a hail storm and light to moderate rain marked the unsettled weather in the North-East.
Rain or thundershowers occurred at most places in Haryana, Jammu and Kashmir and Punjab, at a few places in west Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh, and at isolated places in Himachal Pradesh and east Rajasthan.
Forecasts until Tuesday said that rain or snow will occur at many places in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir and Uttarkhand.
In the plains, rain or thundershowers are likely at a few places in Haryana and Punjab and at isolated places in the rest of the region. Isolated thunder squalls are likely in Haryana, Punjab, West Uttar Pradesh and Uttarkhand.
FICKLE NORTH-EAST An India Meteorological Department (IMD) outlook said that the volatile weather in the North-East would continue to trigger isolated heavy rain and isolated thunder squall for two more days.
The activity may get reduced later, but indications are that this could at best be a temporary given forecasts of isolated to scattered rainfall breaking out afresh upstream over northwest India from an incoming western disturbance.
During the 24 hours ending Monday morning, the highlight of the weather was a two minute-long hailstorm that occurred at Cherrapunjee.
Light to moderate rain occurred at many places over Assam, Meghalaya and Arunachal Pradesh, and at isolated places over Nagaland, Manipur and Mizoram with isolated rather heavy falls over Assam and Meghalaya.
A webbing of cyclonic circulations and a trough in the westerly flows sat in judgment of the volatile weather. A cyclonic circulation each lay over sub-Himalayan West Bengal as well as over east Uttar Pradesh and adjoining Bihar.
RAIN OR SNOW As for the northwest, rain or snow is likely at isolated places over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh till Tuesday. Jammu and Kashmir may get ‘crowned’ by isolated rain or snow from Wednesday as the fresh western disturbance kicks in.
Towards the east, rain or thundershowers have been forecast at isolated places over Bihar, Orissa, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Sikkim during the next two days. Isolated thundershowers are also likely over east Uttar Pradesh and at many places over the region during next two days.
The causative cyclonic circulation over Gangetic West Bengal and neighbourhood has been persisting. Another cyclonic circulation lay anchored over Madhya Pradesh.
MERCURY OUTLOOK International models are suggesting a flare-up of mercury over central and east-central India over the next few days with the daytime maximum likely to peak to a blistering 45 degree Celsius over north Orissa and adjoining Chhattisgarh.
The 40-degree Celsius belt will sit in a ‘T’ over west Madhya Pradesh, central India and adjoining east central India on Monday and Tuesday. Akola and Nagpur recorded 41 degree Celsius each on Saturday.
The maximum heating belt is also forecast to extend to west-central India and the west coast and to northwest India in due course, according to these models.
On Monday, the spate of thundershowers had brought down maximum temperatures to below normal by 3 to 6 degree Celsius over northwest India and parts of the North-East States. They were above normal by 2 to 4 degree Celsius over central and adjoining east India.