New Delhi, March 31: The India Meteorological Department on Monday upgraded its weather alert for Delhi-NCR from yellow to orange, warning of moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds, as parts of the national capital and surrounding regions witnessed showers and strong winds.
The orange alert, indicating potentially impactful weather conditions, remained in force till 6 PM, with the weather department forecasting continued instability and the possibility of scattered light rain on Tuesday as well.
According to the IMD, the prevailing weather conditions over north India are being influenced by an active western disturbance over north Iran and the Caspian Sea region, along with cyclonic circulation over northwest Rajasthan. A fresh western disturbance triggered Monday’s rainfall activity, while another system is expected to approach on April 2, bringing chances of light rain in Delhi on April 3 and 4.
Issuing a nowcast warning, the IMD said, “Light rain, along with thunderstorm and lightning could be expected in Delhi-NCR.” It also cautioned that dust storms followed by thunderstorms, accompanied by gusty winds reaching 60–80 kmph, are likely in parts of Haryana and Rajasthan, while other areas may experience winds of 30–40 kmph. In Delhi-NCR, moderate dust storms with wind speeds of 50–70 kmph are possible.
The national capital is expected to record a maximum temperature between 32°C and 34°C, while the minimum may hover around 20.4°C.
Meanwhile, alerts have been issued across neighbouring states. A yellow alert has been sounded in parts of Uttar Pradesh, including Meerut, Baghpat, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur and Bijnor. In Haryana, both yellow and orange alerts are in place, covering districts such as Gurugram, Faridabad, Hisar, Rohtak and Ambala.
The IMD further predicted light to moderate rainfall and snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir and Ladakh on March 30 and April 2–3. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are also likely to witness similar weather conditions, including thunderstorms and gusty winds, on March 30 and April 3–4, with continued activity in Uttarakhand on March 31. The Kashmir Valley may experience isolated heavy rain or snowfall.
Across the plains, including Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh and Rajasthan, light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds is expected till March 31. Isolated hailstorms are also likely over Punjab, east Rajasthan and Uttarakhand.
Weather experts indicated that frequent western disturbances in April may keep temperatures in check and delay the onset of heatwave conditions.
Mahesh Palawat, Vice President at Skymet, said, “We saw gusty winds in Rajasthan too, but in Delhi, it remained mostly clear, leading to the maximum rising quickly.” He added, “We will then get another western disturbance around April 2 and 3… so the temperature is unlikely to rise too rapidly.”
Echoing similar views, amateur weatherman Navdeep Dahiya said, “Frequent western disturbances are likely to continue next month, with heatwaves to be at bay till the end of April.”
