Rain, thunderstorms likely in Delhi-NCR as western disturbance approaches

A fresh western disturbance is set to bring rain, snowfall and thunderstorms to the western Himalayas as cold wave and dense fog persist across northern plains

Delhi woke up to shallow morning fog on January 30, keeping visibility reduced in the early hours as winter conditions continued their grip over north India. The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said minimum temperatures in the national capital remained lower, while the maximum temperature hovered around 17.9 degrees Celsius, well below the seasonal average.

 

At Indira Gandhi International Airport, low visibility procedures were in progress due to fog during the morning hours. However, airport authorities confirmed that all flight operations were continuing smoothly, with no major delays reported.

 

Skies over the capital are expected to remain partly cloudy to cloudy, with light rain or drizzle and isolated thunderstorms likely between January 30 and February 2, under the influence of an approaching western disturbance.

 

Rain and snowfall forecast

 

According to the IMD, a fresh western disturbance is set to impact northwest India from the night of January 30, triggering scattered to fairly widespread rainfall and snowfall over the western Himalayan region.

 

Light to moderate rain and snowfall, accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds reaching 30–40 kilometres per hour, is likely over Jammu and Kashmir, Ladakh on January 31 and February 1. Himachal Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Uttarakhand are also expected to witness rain and thunderstorms during this period.

 

IMD has also forecast light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning over Rajasthan from January 31 to February 3.

 

Dense fog and visibility concerns continue

 

Dense to very dense fog conditions are likely during night and early morning hours at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh. Dense fog is also expected over parts of Bihar, Chhattisgarh, Himachal Pradesh, Odisha, Rajasthan, West Bengal and Sikkim, Uttarakhand and parts of Madhya Pradesh.

 

The IMD has warned that fog may lead to poor visibility, affecting road, rail and air travel during peak morning hours over the next few days.

 

Cold wave, frost and temperature outlook

 

Cold wave conditions are very likely at isolated places over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, particularly on January 30 and 31. Ground frost conditions are expected at isolated locations in Uttarakhand.

 

The lowest minimum temperature over the plains of India was recently recorded at Narnaul in Haryana at 2.0 degrees Celsius. While minimum temperatures are expected to rise gradually over parts of central and western India, no significant change is likely across much of northwest India in the immediate term.