National Weather Forecast: Thursday, January 16

An incoming western disturbance, having dropped anchor briefly over East Afghanistan and adjoining Pakistan this morning en route to North-West India, will spark scattered rain/snow as far ahead to the East as Jammu & Kashmir, widespread rain/snow over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand with isolated heavy falls over Uttarakhand during the course of the day. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) says it expects a weather-making successor disturbance to cross into North-West India in four to five days (from January 20).

What happened to Chennai’s air quality on the first day of Pongal? Click here to find out

Thunderstorms for plains in North-West

In forecasts valid for the plains of North-West India, the IMD has said isolated to scattered rain/thunderstorms may lash Punjab today and tomorrow, and Madhya Pradesh and Rajasthan today. It will be scattered to fairly widespread rain/thunderstorms over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh both today and tomorrow.

Isolated thunderstorms accompanied by lightning is also likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh for the rest of the day today. Dense fog may descend over parts of Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh & Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, South Assam, Meghalaya, Mizoram and Tripura during the next two days (Friday and Saturday) as the western disturbance extends its influence to the East as well.

A chilly, hazy Thursday morning at the Gateway of India in Mumbai. - Pic: Paul Noronha

Surplus rains received: Skymet Weather

A weather alert from private forecaster Skymet Weather said that rain and thundershowers may affect parts over Gurugram, Jhajjar, Mewat, Panipat, Rohtak, Sonipat, Central, and New Delhi, as well as the northern, north-eastern, north-western, south-western and western districts of Delhi and Haryana into the mid-morning or till noon today.

Jatin Singh, Managing Director, Skymet Weather, said that all main four geographical regions of the country received surplus rains last week. The first few days of the new year also brought bountiful rains across the country.

A clear sky above Bengaluru's iconic Town Hall, on Thursday. – Photo: GRN Somasekhar

In North India, a prolonged wet spell had even caused flight disruptions. Punjab and Uttarakhand recorded excess rain while Vidarbha, East Madhya Pradesh, and Chhattisgarh experienced untimely rains. Pockets that observed deficiency were confined to Karnataka and parts of Tamil Nadu.

Passing showers for Chennai, Mumbai stays cool

Jatin Singh expects unseasonal weather activity in Maharashtra, Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh to lift by the end of this week. Night temperatures will take a slight dip in the night temperatures into the second half of the week, ahead of arrival of a follow-up western disturbance. No significant weather activity is forecast over the Southern Peninsula into the rest of the week except light rains over parts of Tamil Nadu on Saturday and Sunday.

Chennai is expected to record some rain on these days. According to international weather models, the buzzing metropolis in the South is forecast to experience partly cloudy skies today with winds east-north-easterly. Air quality has improved to mostly good or satisfactory today after it took a knock in the wake of the Bhogi festival on the first day of Pongal .

A cloudless sky above Bengaluru's State Central Library, on Thursday. - Photo: GRN Somasekhar

Elsewhere in the South, Bengaluru will likely have mostly sunny to partly cloudy conditions for the rest of the day. In Hyderabad, some clouds in the morning will give way to generally cloudy conditions later. Mumbai continued to remain cool with night temperatures dipping to 15 degree Celsius at Santa Cruz and 19 degrees Celsius at Colaba, said a tweet by KS Hosalikar, Deputy Director of Meteorology, IMD, Mumbai, earlier this morning.

(Source: India Meteorological Department)

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