Air quality improves over NW India, winter chill to set in

Light snowfall and rain is likely over the Western Himalayas, including Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and upper reaches of Uttarakhand between November 18 and 20 under the influence of a western disturbance which brought widespread rain and snow to the region on Sunday. This will lead to a gradual fall in minimum temperatures across northwest India by 2 to 4 degree C this week according to India Meteorological Department (IMD).

Due to widespread rain and strong winds on Sunday in the northwestern region, air quality has improved to “satisfactory” category in Alwar, Ambala, Amritsar, Baghpat, Ballabgarh, Hapur, Hisar, Karnal, Panipat today. Delhi and Noida recorded “moderate” air quality.

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“We are seeing substantial improvement in air quality across the northwest region due to favourable meteorological conditions which has helped in dispersing Diwali pollution,” said Vijay Soni, scientist at IMD’s air quality division.

The impact of the WD has started reducing. It is presently lying as a cyclonic circulation over north Pakistan and neighborhood.

“There was snowfall at many places over Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and over Uttarakhand on Sunday. Rain and thundershowers occurred over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh and some places over north Rajasthan. Today the winds are easterly but they will shift to north-westerly from Tuesday. So cold winds will be blowing from the Western Himalayas where snowfall has just happened. We are expecting minimum temperature to drop under 10 degree C in the next couple of days,” said Kuldeep Shrivastava, head, regional weather forecasting centre. The change in wind direction to northwesterly will lead to a fall in minimum temperature on Wednesday temporarily. The minimum temperature is likely to rise again as a fresh feeble western disturbance is likely to impact the region on November 18.

“A feeble WD is again likely to impact higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh on November 18. So, the minimum temperature will drop on November 16 and 17 but rise again on November 18 before falling substantially after that. The current active western disturbance coincided with Diwali which brought great relief from air pollution to the entire northwest India,” added RK Jenamani, senior scientist at the national weather forecasting centre.