After a “warm” November and December, the country is expected to get its share of cold and wet climate in January due to the formation of western disturbances. This will result in rainfall in Delhi, Haryana, Bihar and Jharkhand.

According to officials of the India Meteorological Department (IMD), a Western Disturbance is currently brewing over north Pakistan and moving to higher latitudes. As a result, there will not be any snowfall in popular tourist spots such as Shimla, Manali and Srinagar, and they will have to settle with cloudy sky and chilly weather only. However, locations on higher altitudes in Uttarakhand may receive isolated rain and snow during the New Year.

A yet another strong western disturbance is expected between January 3 and January 7, the IMD sources said. This is expected to bring moderate-to-heavy snowfall over higher reaches in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand.

Simultaneously, another cyclonic circulation over Haryana is likely to shower light-to-moderate rain in Punjab and Haryana between January 6 and January 10.

According to country’s private forecaster, Skymet, another western disturbance is expected between January 17 and 20. “During that period we expect moderate snowfall over the hills and scattered rains over Punjab, Haryana and north Rajasthan. January’s last western disturbance is likely during the last week of the month, this will bring in good snowfall in the hills and light rain in parts of Punjab and Haryana,” said a IMD official.

As per IMD scientists, foggy conditions will prevail in the first few days of January in many parts of the country. It is expected to get denser in Delhi for the next few days. As per weather experts, the difference between maximum and minimum temperature will drop gradually from New Year onwards.

This, according to Skymet, is due to blowing of easterly winds from Bay of Bengal. Fog is expected over the 255 million hectare Indo-Gangetic plains till January 2 and 3.

A western disturbance is an extra-tropical storm originating in the Mediterranean region that brings sudden winter rainfall to the northwestern parts of the Indian subcontinent.