New Delhi, Dec 23 (Representative) The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday predicted light to moderate rainfall and snowfall in isolated areas of the Western Himalayan region, as well as Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, and Rajasthan, until tomorrow under the influence of a Western Disturbance. According to the IMD, the Western Disturbance, in the form of a cyclonic circulation, is currently located over north Pakistan and its neighborhood at lower and middle tropospheric levels and an induced low-pressure area is situated over northwest Rajasthan. “An active Western Disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds is very likely to affect northwest and central India from December 26,” the IMD stated. The weather department has also forecast dense fog and coldwave to severe coldwave conditions in parts of northwest India over the next 3–4 days.
“Dense fog conditions are likely to prevail during late night and early morning hours in isolated pockets of Uttar Pradesh and Odisha until December 24; Himachal Pradesh from December 24 to 27; Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Bihar, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram, and Tripura from December 23 to 26; and Rajasthan until December 25 and again from December 28 to 30,” the IMD said. Coldwave to severe coldwave conditions are very likely in some parts of Himachal Pradesh between December 23 and 26, while isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad are likely to experience coldwave conditions from December 24 to 26. Similar conditions are also expected in Punjab, Haryana, and Chandigarh between December 23 and 25, it said.The IMD has also predicted a fall in minimum temperatures by about 2°C over the northwest plains of India, except for Uttar Pradesh, where temperatures are expected to rise by about 3°C over the next two days, with no significant change thereafter on December 26.
Minimum temperatures over northwest plains are likely to rise by 2–4°C during December 27–28. A gradual increase in minimum temperatures by 2–4°C is also expected in central India and Maharashtra over the next five days. No significant changes in minimum temperatures are expected in the Western Himalayan region for the next two days, followed by a gradual rise of 2–4°C thereafter, the IMD said. It further highlighted that a well-marked low-pressure area over the southwest and adjoining west-central Bay of Bengal is likely to approach the southwest Bay of Bengal near the north Tamil Nadu and south Andhra Pradesh coasts on December 24.Under this influence, light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, is likely at a few places, with isolated heavy rainfall over Coastal Andhra Pradesh from December 24 to 26 and Rayalaseema on December 24 and 25. “Light to moderate rainfall is very likely at a few places along coastal Odisha, with the possibility of isolated heavy rainfall on December 24 and 25. Similarly, light to moderate rainfall at isolated places, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning, is expected over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, and Karaikal on December 23 and 24, with rain likely at a few places on December 25 and 26,” the IMD said.