In a warning issued on Tuesday afternoon, the Met department said that a thunderstorm accompanied by hail/squall with a speed reaching up to 100 km per hour might sweep over a vast swathe of Uttarakhand over the next 36 hours from Tuesday night.
The districts which have been marked as vulnerable to the approaching storm are Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag, Bageswar, Udham Singh Nagar, Pithoragarh and Nainital. Besides, it might snow at places located at an altitude of 3500 metres and above.
Importantly, the four-shrine pilgrimage is now on with thousands of pilgrims being on their way to the revered shrines located in Uttarkashi, Chamoli and Rudraprayag districts.
The Met officials said that the velocity of the storm might range between 70 to 100 km per hour and it might whip through a number of districts of the state like Dehradun, Haridwar, Tehri, Uttarkashi, Chamoli, Rudraprayag and Pithoragarh. Gusty winds accompanied by rain might lash some areas over the next 36 hours. The Met department ascribed the present state of the climate to western disturbance that has remained active over the state. Meanwhile, gusty winds swept over Dehradun on late Monday night. As per the weather department, the same might lash it again on Tuesdaynight and Wednesday. The sky would remain partly cloudy on Wednesday with possibility of thunderstorm breaking out in some areas.
The wet spell continuing, the mercury is now on the lower side with Dehradun registering a maximum 31 degree Celsius and the minimum settling at 19 degree Celsius on Tuesday.
The Met officers said that the minimum temperature of the city might dip by a few notches further on Wednesday and settle in the neighbourhood of 17 degree Celsius.
The same would hold for other cities of the state during the time the western disturbance remains active.