Turbulent weather to continue across India till May 6, says IMD
While this may bring relief from the intense May heat, it could also cause widespread damage, the IMD has warned
New Delhi: Brace for more turbulent skies, as the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday issued warnings of continued rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorm/dust storm, lightning, hailstorms, squally/gusty winds over northwest, east, and central regions of the country until May 6.
Inclement weather affected large parts of the country, including Delhi-NCR, on Friday. A similar weather pattern is expected to continue due to the interaction of multiple weather systems. While this may bring relief from the intense May heat, it could also cause widespread damage, the IMD has warned.
A western disturbance (WD) is present as a cyclonic circulation over south Punjab and adjoining areas of north Rajasthan and west Haryana at the mid-tropospheric level. Another upper air cyclonic circulation lies over southwest Rajasthan at the lower tropospheric level. Additionally, an upper air cyclonic circulation is located over northeast Rajasthan and adjoining northwest Madhya Pradesh, with a trough extending from this system to Bangladesh at the lower tropospheric level. Another trough is extending from Punjab to north Kerala in the lower troposphere. An upper air cyclonic circulation also persists over north Bangladesh in both the lower and middle tropospheric levels.
“There is large scale thunderstorm activity over NW India. There is a western disturbance, moisture incursion from the Arabian Sea and Bay of Bengal. It was very hot over large parts for the past one week. Extensive heating is a precondition for thunderstorms, in addition to moisture, and instability in the atmosphere. The WD triggered such intense thunderstorm activity. This system will move eastwards now. The thunderstorm activity will continue over northeast and east India for 5 days. South peninsular India will also experience pre-monsoon thunderstorm activity. Another WD will impact NW India from May 4,” IMD director general M Mohapatra said.
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Under the influence of these systems, scattered to fairly widespread light/moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds speed reaching 40-50 kmph gusting to 60 kmph likely over Bihar, Jharkhand, Odisha, West Bengal and Sikkim till May 3; Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh till May 5.
Over northwest India, scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds speed reaching 40-60 kmph likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand till May 6. Isolated hailstorm is very likely over Himachal Pradesh on May 3. Thundersquall with wind speed reaching 50-60 kmph is likely over Himachal Pradesh; Uttarakhand and Jammu & Kashmir on May 4.
Isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and strong winds speed reaching 40-60 kmph is likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan till May 6. Thundersquall (speed reaching 50-60 kmph gusting to 70 kmph) is very likely at isolated places over Rajasthan on May 4; Punjab, Haryana Chandigarh and Delhi on May 4 and 5; West Uttar Pradesh on May 4 and 5; East Uttar Pradesh on May 5.
Duststorm likely at isolated places over Rajasthan till May 5.
There is yellow alert for most of northwest India for May 3 and 4 and orange category alert for east and central India. Orange alert implies that local agencies need to prepared to take action to prevent thunderstorm related disasters.
