Rainfall likely in Delhi today, IMD issues orange alert in Punjab, Rajasthan for hailstorms
The India Meteorological Department said Delhi is likely to receive light rainfall on Thursday and issued a yellow alert as rain and gusty winds are expected to last till Friday.
Rain continued to lash Rajasthan and Punjab on Wednesday and the IMD issued an orange alert for the two states for a fresh spell of hailstorms.
The weather department added that a fresh spell of rainfall and thunderstorm activity is likely over Himachal Prdesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Chandigarh, Uttar Pradesh on March 23 and 24.
RAINFALL AND SNOW IN HIMACHAL PRADESH
The higher areas of Himachal Pradesh, including Kadhrala and Gondla, received a mild spell of snow on Wednesday, according to the weather department. The lower hills in the state were lashed by light to moderate rains.
Light to moderate rains lashed several parts of the state. Sundernagar received the highest amount of rainfall, followed by Mandi, Dalhousie, Chauri, Dharmshala, and Karsog, among other places.
The local meteorological weather office issued an orange warning for thunderstorms, lightning and hailstorms on March 24 in six districts, including Una, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi, Shimla and Solan. A yellow warning was issued for the remaining six districts of the state. Surinder Paul, the head of the local weather department, told ANI news agency that widespread rainfall across the state is expected in the next three days.
FRESH SPELL OF RAIN, THUNDERSTORMS IN NORTHWEST INDIA
As per the IMD, a fresh spell of rain and thunderstorms is likely to commence over Northwest India from Thursday with isolated hailstorms over several states. The hailstorms are likely to mainly impact Punjab and Haryana and they may also spill over to West Rajasthan. Chandigarh and West Uttar Pradesh could experience similar conditions on Friday.
The IMD issued an orange alert for West Rajasthan and parts of Punjab, while a yellow alert was issued for Haryana, Gujarat and Chandigarh. Delhi might also receive light rainfall on Thursday, said the IMD, issuing a yellow alert for the region.
The weather department asked farmers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan to postpone harvesting crops and keep the already harvested produce in a safe place. The strong winds and hail will likely damage standing crops, it added.
Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann had earlier ordered a ground-level assessment to find out the damage to the wheat crop following the incessant rainfall in the state.
YELLOW ALERT FOR ANDHRA, NORTH EAST STATES
The IMD said scattered to fairly widespread light or moderate rainfall activity with thunderstorm lightning and gusty winds is likely to continue over Northeast India during the next few days. A yellow alert was issued over the region with isolated heavy rainfall expected over Arunachal Pradesh and Assam and Meghalaya.
In Andhra Pradesh, the IMD asked farmers to stop cultivating crops as isolated light rainfall with thunderstorms and lightning is expected to last for the next five days. Similar weather conditions will likely be observed in Tamil Nadu and Puducherry.