North India Braces for Weather Turbulence, IMD Issues Alert

As the capital wakes up to windy Monday, the current weather conditions indicate a high of 29°C and a low of 16°C, with a gentle breeze blowing at 13 km/h. The humidity stands at 56 percent, with a dew point of 11°C and a pressure reading of 1012.5 mb. The UV index is reported at 2 out of 11, and visibility is estimated at 8.05 km.

New Wave of Western Disturbance

According to the latest bulletin from the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a western disturbance affected the weather patterns across North India since Saturday (February 17). These disturbances, originating from the Mediterranean Sea, traverse eastward, accumulating moisture along the way, before releasing it over North India.

This system's impact will bring widespread rainfall and/or snowfall of varying intensities, coupled with thunderstorms and lightning, across the Western Himalayan Region from Saturday through Thursday (February 17-22).

The precipitation activity is expected to reach its peak between Sunday and Tuesday (February 18-20). During these three days, heavy rainfall/snowfall is anticipated in regions including Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, and Himachal Pradesh. Uttarakhand is forecasted to experience similar conditions on Monday and Tuesday (February 19-20).

Additionally, isolated locations across Jammu-Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal, and Uttarakhand may encounter very heavy downpours on today

Moreover, hailstorm occurrences are probable in Jammu on Sunday (February 18), Himachal on Sunday and Monday (February 18-19), and Uttarakhand from Sunday to Tuesday (February 18-20).

In light of these projections, IMD has issued an orange alert for all the states as mentioned above and territories during this period. Residents are advised to remain vigilant and make necessary arrangements to cope with adverse weather conditions.

Most districts within these regions, including prominent cities like Jammu, Srinagar, Shimla, Kullu, Dehradun, Haridwar, and Nainital, are also placed under heavy rain/snow and thunderstorm alerts for the forecasted duration.

Meanwhile, recurrent western disturbances throughout February have brought substantial precipitation to the Western Himalayan Region over the past couple of weeks.

From February 1 to 16, Ladakh has witnessed a surplus of 25 percent in precipitation at 5 mm, while Himachal and Uttarakhand have recorded 'normal' figures at 60.8 mm and 35.4 mm, respectively. Conversely, Jammu-Kashmir, with 41.3 mm, has experienced a 37 percent deficit compared to its historical average during this period.