Rain, winds bring chilly effect to Delhi; snowfall in store for Shimla

New Delhi, Dec 27 (IANS) A wet New Year’s Eve appears to be in store for tourists in the northern hills as the weather in Delhi and northern states like J&K, Himachal Pradesh, Haryana, Punjab and Rajasthan took a dramatic turn on Friday with rain and cold winds combining to create a chilly effect. 

On Friday, rainfall/snowfall was reported in several parts of J&K, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Due to western disturbance, fairly widespread rainfall/snowfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning is likely over the Western Himalayan Region on Saturday, with isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall likely over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, said the India Meteorological Department.

In a warning for New Year revellers in hill stations in Himachal Pradesh, the IMD has predicted cold wave conditions in some parts of the state between December 29 and 31. On Friday, Shimla recorded a minimum of 1 degree Celsius. On Saturday and Sunday, the mercury may dip to zero in Himachal Pradesh’s capital city, the IMD said.

In Delhi, early morning light rain and drizzle brought the temperature down, causing inconvenience to office-goers, especially those using two-wheelers. The national capital recorded a minimum temperature of 12 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 20 degrees Celsius on Friday.

The steady drizzle continued till evening, intermittently lasting over 10 hours, after starting early in the morning. Delhi’s Safdarjung and Ayanagar weather stations reported a visibility of less than 200 metres till Friday morning.

On Friday, light rain was also reported from several parts of NCR, along with a layer of fog, resulting in reduced visibility.

The IMD has predicted a "thunderstorm with rain" for Delhi on Saturday. With this, more showers are expected over the city. The weather department has issued an orange alert forecasting light to moderate rainfall accompanied by light thunderstorms and lightning.

Cold Day conditions are very likely on Saturday in Delhi and in isolated pockets in Chandigarh-Haryana and Uttarakhand.

Moderate fog (visibility 200-499 metres) was reported in isolated pockets of Delhi and Rajasthan till Friday morning. Less than 200-metre visibility was reported from Punjab’s Amritsar and Halwara IAF-200 each; East Uttar Pradesh’s Varanasi-Babatpur-200; West Rajasthan’s Churu-200 and East Rajasthan’s Udaipur-Dabok-200.

In its national cold wave and fog forecast, the IMD said on Friday morning the minimum temperatures were below zero degrees Celsius over many parts of Jammu, Kashmir and Ladakh; 10-15 degrees Celsius over Northwest, central and east India; 12-18 degrees Celsius over many parts of Central, West and East India.

In the northern plains, the lowest minimum temperature of 5.4 degrees Celsius was recorded at Churu (West Rajasthan) on Friday morning. There has been a rise by 2-4 degrees Celsius in minimum temperature over many parts of Northwest India adjoining central India since Thursday morning.

On Saturday, scattered rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (wind speed 30-50 kmph) is likely over East Uttar Pradesh, West Rajasthan, west Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, interior Maharashtra and Gujarat Region, said the IMD.

In Jammu and Kashmir, the plains received rain through Friday, starting morning, after a long time. Srinagar city recorded minus 7.3 degrees Celsius, Gulmarg minus 6 and Pahalgam minus 8 as the minimum temperature on Friday.

Jammu city recorded 8 degrees Celsius, Katra town 7.4, Batote 2.1, Banihal minus 1.8 and Bhaderwah minus 0.6 as the minimum temperature.

People in the Doda district welcomed the rains, marking the end of dryness that, they claimed, was causing diseases to spread among residents.

The farmers of Jammu and Kashmir also appeared overjoyed. A Valley resident said, "After a long time, rain has finally arrived in Jammu and Kashmir. It has been months since the last rainfall, and today there is a sense of happiness across the entire region.”

“While the plains in the state are experiencing rain, the higher mountainous areas are receiving snow. We are thankful to the Almighty, and we hope this pattern of rain and snow continues for a few months so that farmers and orchard owners can breathe a sigh of relief. This will improve the crops and agriculture," said the resident.

--IANS

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