New Delhi: A fresh western disturbance over the Himalayas, coupled with moisture-laden monsoon winds, brought light to moderate rainfall over several parts of northwest India on Monday, while strong winds blew over vast stretches of Delhi-NCR and Rajasthan, triggering dust storms.
Squally winds blew over parts of the capital as light to moderate rainfall brought some respite from the heat.
The maximum wind speed was logged at 93 kmph in the afternoon, while a brief spell of rain between 2.30 pm and 5.30 pm added to the moisture load. Palam recorded 9.0 mm of rainfall till 5.30 pm – the highest in the region. Safdarjung, the city’s case station, logged a maximum of 37.5 degrees Celsius, a notch below normal.
Weather officials said day temperatures were largely near normal, with a departure of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius at Safdarjung and minus 1.7 degrees Celsius at Palam.
However, the 24-hour change in maximum temperatures remained marginally negative across most stations, indicating slight cooling due to rain.
For Tuesday, the weather office has forecast thunderstorms with rain, with minimum and maximum temperatures expected to be around 27 and 38 degrees Celsius, respectively.
“There was a cyclonic circulation over Punjab, Haryana and nearby areas, which led to rain over Delhi. Moisture-laden southwesterly winds from the Arabian Sea also helped in the development of this weather activity. Because of the moisture and the cyclonic circulation, parts of Punjab, Haryana and Delhi received rain,” Mahesh Palawat of Skymet Weather said.
He further said the activity is likely to continue for the next two days, although its intensity will reduce gradually. “Since there is still moisture in the air, temperatures are not expected to rise significantly during this period. After that, temperatures are likely to start increasing again,” he said.
Strong winds were witnessed over several parts of the National Capital Region on Monday afternoon. Rain lashed Gurugram and parts of Haryana while squally winds ushered a dust storm over Noida. The weather office has forecast rain and thunderstorms over isolated parts of western Uttar Pradesh, while eastern parts of the state are likely to remain dry.
Several places in Rajasthan experienced thunderstorms and light to moderate rainfall during the 24 hours till Monday morning. Khanpur in Jhalawar district recorded the highest rainfall at 51 mm.
Officials said the ongoing spell of rain and strong winds over the past few days has led to a drop in maximum temperatures across the state.
Thunderstorm and rainfall are likely to continue in Rajasthan this week under the influence of a western disturbance, the weather office said on Monday. Parts of Bikaner, Jaipur, Bharatpur, Ajmer, Kota and Jodhpur divisions are expected to witness rainfall over the next few days, accompanied by strong winds at 60 to 70 kmph.
In Himachal Pradesh, a hailstorm lashed Shimla and adjoining areas on Monday afternoon, with the weather office forecasting a wet spell in the state till June 21. There are reports of damage to apple crop in Kinnaur district owing to hailstorm.
Light to moderate rainfall took place in several parts of the state in the 24 hours since Sunday evening. Kufri received 31 mm rainfall while Sundernagar recorded 17.9 mm, Shimla 12 mm, Kangra 11 mm, Mandi and Khadrala 5 mm each, Nahan 3.8 mm, and Manali 2 mm.
The Shimla meteorological centre has issued an alert for thunderstorm, lightning and gusts of 40-50 kmph at isolated places in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu and Mandi districts for Thursday and Friday (June 18 and 19).
Several parts of Uttarkhand too saw light to moderate rainfall in the 24 hours till Monday evening, with weather stations in Chakrata and Kanda logging 11.5 mm and 11.0 mm rainfall, respectively, while Mussoorie recorded 9.2 mm.
The weather office has cautioned of thunderstorms and gusty winds at 40-50 kmph over isolated places in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Dehradun, Tehri, Almora, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh districts. It has also forecast light to moderate rain and thunderstorms at few places in Uttarkashi, Rudraprayag, Chamoli, Bageshwar and Pithoragarh. Very light to light rain, accompanied by thunder and lightning, is likely at isolated places in the remaining districts.
