Two western disturbances likely to affect northwest India within a week: IMD

Two successive western disturbances are likely to affect northwest India during the week, with peak activity on Friday, Saturday and Tuesday, the India Meteorological Department said on Friday.

Hailstorms are likely to take place over the region, and isolated heavy rainfall may also occur over the Kashmir valley on Friday and Saturday.

"Rainfall activity with thunderstorm and lightning likely over central and peninsular India till April 7, with isolated hailstorms over Madhya Pradesh, Madhya (central) Maharashtra, Marathawada and adjoining Gujarat region on April 3, and over east Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh on April 4," the IMD said.


The department also stated that day temperatures are likely to remain below normal or near normal over most parts of the country during the week.

In the past 24 hours, heavy rainfall was reported in Arunachal Pradesh, central Maharashtra, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry and Karaikal.

Meanwhile, hailstorms were reported in east Rajasthan, western Madhya Pradesh, and central Maharashtra.

In March, eight western disturbances impacted the country, against the normal of five or six.

Western disturbances are east-moving rain-bearing wind systems that originate beyond Afghanistan and Iran, and pick up moisture from the Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, Caspian Sea and the Arabian Sea.

They are embedded within the subtropical westerly jet stream -- a high-altitude, fast-moving air current flowing from west to east in Earth's atmosphere -- that lies over the Himalayan and Tibetan highlands.

Western disturbances are most common during the boreal winter months (December to March).