A weak western disturbance traced to Iran and along the latitude en route to Yasuj, Kerman, Dehsalm and Zabol (Iran); Farah, Kandahar and Tarinkot (Afghanistan); Zhob, Khushab and Sialkot (Pakistan); and Manali (Himachal Pradesh) and Leh in India may cause scattered rain or snow over Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, and isolated rain over the rest of North-West India tomorrow (Tuesday).

Rough weather over Central, East India

But the prominent weather activity will continue to be unleashed over East India as moist easterly winds from the Bay of Bengal interact with cold and dry westerly winds from North India. This would trigger scattered to fairly widespread rainfall/thundershowers over Central and East India from tomorrow (Tuesday) to Thursday, an India Meteorological Department (IMD) outlook said this morning.  Isolated hailstorms or thunderstorms may also lash these regions during the period. Hailstones are formed when raindrops are carried upward by thunderstorm updrafts (strong wind currents from ground to the higher levels of the atmosphere) into extremely cold areas of the atmosphere and freeze. Updrafts are caused by the sun heating the ground. The heat from the ground warms the surrounding air, which causes the air to rise. The hail falls when the updraft can no longer support the weight of the hailstone, which can occur if the stone becomes large enough or the updraft weakens.

Cold wave conditions, fog in North

Meanwhile, the plains of North-West India - Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi - are witnessing cold wave conditions and dense fog, bereft as these are of the clouding and warmth associated with active western disturbances. The chill and fog may reduce from tomorrow (Tuesday) night.  Very dense fog hung over isolated places over Punjab this morning, with visibility being reduced to 25 metres. Yesterday (Sunday),  cold day conditions (day temperatures of 16 degrees Celsius or below) were observed at isolated places over South Madhya Pradesh. Cold wave conditions prevailed in many parts of Punjab and a few places in Haryana.  The day's highest temperature of 35.5 degrees Celsius was recorded at Punalur (Kerala) while the lowest night temperature of  2.2 degrees Celsius was recorded at Narnaul (Haryana) over the plains of the country.

Clouds spread out over East, Central India

The incoming weak western disturbance to North-West India apart, the other major prevailing weather system is a trough (an elongated low-pressure area) over the Maldives-Lakshadweep. This is causing easterly winds to blow across the South Peninsula into the Arabian Sea, setting up clouds and sparking the formation of hit-or-miss thunderstorms over both East India, adjoining Central India and the South Peninsula.  This morning's (Monday) satellite pictures showed clouds over Bhubaneswar, Kamakhyanagar, Sambalpur, Brahmapur, Bhawanipatna, and Rayagada (Odisha); Kapsi (Chhattisgarh); Chandrapur (Maharashtra); Ramagundam, Warangal, Hyderabad, and Khammam (Telangana); Srikakulam, Visakhapatnam, Kakinada, Vijayawada, Macherla, Kurnool, Proddatur, Nellore, and Tirupati (Andhra Pradesh); Vellore, Chennai, Tiruchirapalli, Madurai, and Tirunelveli (Tamil Nadu); and the Lakshadweep Islands in the South-East Arabian Sea.

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A clear sky above Bengaluru's Vidhana Soudha on Monday. Pic: GRN Somashekar

 

Wet days until February 10

The forecast for the five days ending on February 8 said night temperatures may rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over many parts of Central and West India during the next 2-3 days. Shallow to moderate fog is likely during the morning hours (Tuesday) over East and North-East India.  An extended outlook valid from February 8 to 10 said that isolated rain or snow is likely over the hills of North-West India (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) while scattered to fairly widespread rain or thundershowers would continue over East and adjoining Central India.

 

Outlook from The Weather Company

The Weather Company, an IBM Business, said in its outlook that the wind convergence would continue to produce isolated to fairly widespread rain and thunderstorms over Central India and East India. The feeble incoming western disturbance will bring isolated to scattered snow or rain over Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand on Tuesday. The mercury level will trend lower in North India during the next few days with maximum day temperatures dropping by 1-2 degrees Celsius in North India, North-Central India and North-East India.

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Maximum temperatures over South India should be normal or slightly higher. Night temperatures will be near normal or slightly lower over North India, North-Central India and North-East India.  The air quality index is likely to range from poor to very poor over North India, Central India, West India and East India, especially in major cities such qs Delhi. Air quality in Delhi this (Monday) morning was unhealthy to very unhealthy with a PM2.5 index level of 200 or more (0-50 is considered good). 

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