Himachal Pradesh and upper Jammu and Kashmir on Saturday witnessed fresh snowfall as a spell of wet weather swept across northern India, bringing rain to parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.
Rain and snowstorms continued to lash the northern states intermittently this week, with wheat farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan facing major losses due to crop damage.
Meanwhile, the national capital witnessed rain overnight between Friday and Saturday in isolated areas. However, the maximum temperature in the city dropped as cloudy conditions continued throughout the day.
In Jammu and Kashmir, officials said the snowfall also led to the closure of several important roads between districts.
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The Met Office warned of brief but intense heavy rains in isolated parts, which could lead to floods and landslides in a few vulnerable places and waterlogging in a few low-lying areas.
Sadhna Top and other upper reaches of Kupwara, Mughal Road in Shopian, Margan Top connecting Anantnag with Kishtwar, Razdan Top, Gurez and Tulail in Bandipora district received fresh snowfall overnight.
Snow also fell on Mount Avrawat in Gulmarg tourist resort, Sonamarg-Zojila axis and some other mountainous areas in the valley.
They added that the valley’s plains, including the summer capital Srinagar, received rain.
The wet weather brought down the daytime temperature across the valley as people had to wear layers of cloth to fight the blistering cold.
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Likewise, maximum and minimum temperatures fell in Himachal Pradesh, with light to moderate rain and snowfall in several areas.
The meteorological office in Shimla has issued an orange alert for hailstorms, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds with speeds of 40 to 50 km per hour in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Tuesday and Wednesday.
In the upper areas of Lahaul, Spiti and Kullu, fresh snowfall has been witnessed in the last 24 hours since Friday evening. The Meteorological Department also expected a wet wave in the state until April 10.
In the national capital, the minimum temperature rose to 20.7 degrees Celsius, which is 1.9 degrees above normal and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous day. On the other hand, the maximum temperature reached 32 degrees Celsius, which is two degrees and one degree lower than yesterday.
“This is because there is cloud cover, and as a result less heat penetrates during the day and less heat escapes from the Earth’s surface at night,” said Mahesh Palawat, Vice President, Skymet.
Additionally, Delhi’s air quality showed significant improvement due to refreshing rains and gusty winds the previous day. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was reported at 137 (moderate) at 4pm on Saturday, compared to the AQI of 266 (poor) recorded at the same time on Friday, according to Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.
According to CPCB standards, an air quality index (AQI) of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.
Read also | IMD Orange Alert has been issued for rain, thunderstorms and lightning in Delhi
In Punjab, the average maximum temperature fell by 0.7 degrees Celsius compared to the previous day and remained 2.6 degrees below normal, while in Haryana it witnessed a decline of 0.9 degrees and remained 1.8 degrees Celsius below normal.
Rainfall was recorded in Pathankot, Rupnagar, Amritsar, Fazilka and Ferozepur in Punjab, as well as Mahendragarh and Yamunanagar in Haryana.
Parts of Rajasthan recorded rainfall and gusty winds in the last 24 hours due to cyclonic circulation with more thunderstorms and hail activity expected in the region in the coming days, the IMD said on Saturday.
“A new and strong Western Disturbance is likely to become active over parts of Jodhpur and Bikaner districts from the afternoon of April 6, leading to high probability of thunderstorms and rainfall activity in some areas,” the IMD said.
The hurricane’s impact is expected to reach its peak on April 7. “During its activity, several parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Kota districts are likely to witness strong thunderstorms, gusty winds of 50-60 kmph, moderate to heavy rain and isolated hailstorms.”
“Farmers are advised to cover crops and grains harvested in open areas or move them to safe storage places to prevent damage caused by rain and hail,” the Met Office said.
Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has demanded immediate financial assistance to farmers affected by unseasonal rains and snowstorms in parts of the state, saying the damage has created a crisis for farmers.
“In some parts of the state, unseasonal rains and snowstorms have spelled disaster for farmers. Wheat and sabgul crops were damaged in Bikaner district, while crops like sabgul, cumin, wheat and fennel in Nagaur suffered huge losses,” he said.
Temperatures are likely to remain below normal or near normal in most parts of the country in the next few days, the IMD said on Friday.
She added that in March, eight Western disturbances affected the country, compared to five or six normal disturbances.
This story has been published from a news agency feed without modifications to the text.
