Weather update for North India: Heavy rain, snow, fog alerts for the next 6 days, says IMD

Following a dry winter, the northern hill states and plains of north India have received much-needed rainfall and snowfall. The northern hill states experienced their first substantial snowfall of the season, providing relief to the plains of north India that have been dealing with an unusually dry winter.

Delhi Rains
Meanwhile, Delhi saw unexpected rain accompanied by thunderstorms for the second day, adding to the difficulties faced by the people already enduring the harsh winter.

IMD stated, "One patch is moving across Delhi and is currently causing light to moderate rainfall at a few places, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds."


Another patch is moving towards Delhi from Rohtak and Jhajjar, which may bring another round of rainfall, thunderstorms, lightning, and gusty winds.

Western Himalayan Regions
The Western Himalayan Regions, encompassing Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand, also experienced rainfall and snowfall activity.

Orange alerts for snow and rain have been issued by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) covering Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi. The alerts are active on Thursday, and Uttarakhand's alert has been lowered to yellow.

The IMD has stated that no cold wave conditions are expected over any part of the country in the next five days.

Why is the snowfall important?
The anticipated snowfall holds crucial importance for the ecology of the hill states, contributing to water sources and glaciers that play a pivotal role in supplying water to both the hills and the plains of north India. The absence of substantial rain and snow this season has led to severe dry conditions, triggering major fires in J&K, Himachal, and Uttarakhand during the peak of winter. In the plains, winter rain is essential for the success of the rabi crop and for maintaining optimal temperatures.

Earlier, IMD's forecast suggested that Wednesday and Thursday will witness the peak of this weather activity, with light to moderate and fairly widespread rain and snow expected until February 4. Some weather models even indicate the possibility of rain persisting till February 5.

Dense Fog
Despite the positive news, dense fog continues to be a concern for north India. The IMD update warned of dense fog in the morning hours over certain areas in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and Delhi on Wednesday, as well as on February 2 and 3. However, a silver lining is anticipated around February 5, with strong northerly winds expected to break the fog spell while simultaneously reducing night temperatures.