Northwest India to receive rain, thunderstorms till Tuesday

New Delhi, Jan 04: In a recent development, several parts of northwest India continue to receive widespread and heavy rain with thunderstorm and lightning.

According to reports, moderately intense rain is likely occur over Alwar, Tizara, Kotputli, Deeg, Bharatpur in Rajasthan; Aligarh, Jattari, Iglas, Khair, Sahaswan, Hathras, Barsana, Khurja, Anupshahar, Gabbana, Chandausi, Bhajoi, Sambhal in UP; Palwal, Hodal, Aurangabad, Nuh in Haryana during the next two hours according to India Meteorological Department.

Meanwhile, Delhi recorded 39.9mm rain between 8.30am on Saturday and 2.30pm on Sunday - far higher than the 21.7mm average rain quota for all of January.

According to IMD scientists, more rain, as well as hailstorm and thunderstorms are expected till Tuesday.

An active western disturbance is lying as a middle and upper level cyclonic circulation over central Pakistan with its induced cyclonic circulation over southwest Rajasthan. A north-south zone of wind confluence is also observed from north Punjab to northeast Arabian Sea, with a strong interaction between southwesterly winds and lower level moist southeasterlies.

All these favourable meteorological features for rain are likely to persist till January 5 and continue to cause moderate to intense rain with thunderstorm, lightning and hailstorm at isolated places in northwest India till the night of January 5 with peak activity on January 3 and 4 over the plains (Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, West Uttar Pradesh and north Rajasthan ) and on January 4 and 5 over the western Himalayan region (Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit-Baltistan, Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand).

Northerly-northwesterly winds likely to set in over northwest India causing "cold" wave to "severe cold" wave conditions at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan from January 7.