India is set for a mixed bag of weather this week, with rainfall likely across southern states and an active western disturbance bringing rain, snow and hailstorms to parts of north India, according to the India Meteorological Department.
The weather department has warned of a turbulent spell over northwest India, driven by two western disturbances expected to peak on April 7 and 8.
Orange alert in Himachal as snowfall continues
Higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh have already witnessed fresh snowfall, prompting the Shimla Meteorological Office to issue an orange alert.
The warning covers districts including Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla for April 7 and 8, with forecasts of hailstorms, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 40 to 60 kmph.
A fresh western disturbance is expected to impact the region from midweek, with a prolonged wet spell likely to continue till April 11.
Thunderstorms for Rajasthan
Light to moderate rainfall, snowfall in higher reaches, and thunderstorms accompanied by lightning and gusty winds are likely across Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on April 6.
Similar conditions are expected to extend to Punjab and Rajasthan, with winds gusting up to 60 kmph. The IMD has also flagged the possibility of thundersqualls, with wind speeds reaching up to 70 kmph in parts of Rajasthan on April 7
Hailstorm activity is likely in several regions, including Jammu and Kashmir, and Rajasthan on April 7, and across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi on April 7 and 8.
“Heavy rainfall is likely over the Kashmir Valley on 7th April,” the IMD said.
Delhi sees cooler-than-usual April
Meanwhile, Delhi is experiencing an unusually mild April so far, with cloudy skies expected to persist till April 8.
The maximum temperature on Sunday settled at 32.7 degrees Celsius, 1.3 notches below normal, while the minimum stood at 20.1 degrees Celsius, also below the seasonal average. Relative humidity was recorded at 46 per cent in the evening, a news agency PTI report added.
For Monday, the IMD has forecast a partly cloudy sky, with temperatures likely to hover around 34 degrees Celsius during the day and 19 degrees Celsius at night. Skies are expected to clear by midweek.
Navdeep Dahiya, an amateur weather expert, said the fresh active western disturbance set to impact north India on April 7 and 8 will lead to colder day temperatures, “almost February levels.”
Rainfall activity in south India
In southern India, light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms and gusty winds is expected over Tamil Nadu, Kerala, Karnataka, Telangana and parts of coastal Andhra Pradesh over the next five days.
“Heavy rain is likely over ghat areas of Tamil Nadu, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam and Kerala & Mahe on 06th April,” the IMD said.
Chennai weather forecast
The weather department has issues a yellow alert for Chennai for thunderstorm and lightning in parts of the district.
Meanwhile, other parts of Tamil Nadu are likely to see scattered light to moderate rain, particularly over western ghat districts and southern regions.
Heavy rainfall is expected at isolated locations in Virudhunagar, Dindigul and Theni districts. While interior and coastal regions may see intermittent showers with thunderstorms, several other parts of the state are likely to remain dry in phases through April 8.
Light rain is expected to continue at isolated places across Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal till April 7, with slightly wider rainfall activity likely on April 8.