The India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Sunday said a formation of fresh western disturbance is likely to affect Western Himalayan Region from the night of March 3, and plains of northwest India from March 4. This will cause widespread rainfall and snowfall accompanies by thunderstorm and lightning over western Himalayan region and over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and Uttar Pradesh between March 5 and 7.
The IMD said that due to convergence in easterlies, light rain at isolated places with isolated thunderstorm likely over Southern Karnataka and Kerala next 2 days.
According to the IMD, the soaring mercury levels are touching new highs as February 2020 is recorded as one of the hottest second months in the last decade.
In February 2020, the average minimum temperature has been recorded at 14.2 degrees Celsius. In the past 10 years, according to the IMD data, the highest minimum average temperature was recorded in 2010 at 14.7 degrees Celsius.
In 2013 the minimum average temperature was recorded at 14.3 degrees Celsius, and in 2016 it was 14.6 degrees Celsius.
According to Skymet Weather, a private weather broadcaster, an upper Trough which currently lies over Madhya Pradesh would be shifting east/northeastwards and start affecting the eastern parts of the country. "Thus, during the next 24 to 36 hours, a light spell of rain and thundershowers along with gusty winds may occur in Bihar, Jharkhand, West Odisha and in one or two parts of West Bengal. Places like Gaya, Aurangabad, Patna, Daltonganj, Ranchi, Jamshedpur, etc, are likely to witness rainfall activities," it said.
"Due to increased moisture levels along with the formation of a Cyclonic Circulation over Sub Himalayan West Bengal and adjoining region, the rainfall activities may increase in the northeastern states for the next few days. These weather activities are expected to be more in Arunachal Pradesh as compared to other states of Northeast India," Skymet said.
Meanwhile, the IMD’s early early trends suggest, the summer months of March, April and May are likely to be warmer than normal across most parts of India. Forecasts suggest warmer-than-normal temperatures over northwest, west and central India and some subdivisions from southern India from March to May 2020. Moreover, the seasonal average mean temperatures are expected to remain more than 1°C over few northwestern parts like Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand and west Rajasthan, resulting in a sweltering summer this year.
Average seasonal temperatures of 1°C above normal can mean a rise of several degrees above normal on extremely hot days of the season. For temperatures, the normal value is considered to be the average of temperature values from 1981 to 2010. As per the IMD forecast, both maximum and minimum temperatures are likely to remain 0.5 to 1°C warmer than the long period average across western coast, northwest as well as central parts of India this summer. Only parts of eastern and southeastern states are likely to witness near-normal temperatures.