Parts of Northwest India will experience a fresh spell of rainfall and hail storms from March 23 to 25, the The India Meteorological Department (IMD) said on Tuesday.
In its latest bulletin, the MET department predicted light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms over the western Himalayan region, as well as Punjab, Haryana, parts of Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh and Uttar Pradesh on Thursday and Friday.
Coming down to the South, Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, parts of Tamil Nadu and Kerala will experience scattered rainfall during the same days.
Central India will see a gradual rise in maximum temperature by 2 to 3 degrees in the next two days, IMD said.
This comes after the national capital saw heavy rains and strong wind on Monday.
Unpredictability
With weather becoming more unpredictable than ever, meteorologists have sounded the alarm for a harsh season of intense heat waves and soaring temperatures in the country this year.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecasted an increased probability of heatwaves ready to push mercury to record highs in April and May.
But another worry that looms large is the return of El Nino – a global ocean phenomenon which is linked to a below-par monsoon.
This week, rains have lashed in several parts of the country.
In the last 24 hours, heavy rainfall at isolated places was reported from West Uttar Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, West Bengal, Tamil Nadu, Assam and Meghalaya, according to the Indian Meteorological Department (IMD).
Hailstorms at isolated places were reported in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir in the last 24 hours.
Impact on crops
Though the western disturbance-induced rain provided respite to people from high temperatures due to untimely heat waves, they sent farmers scrambling to protect their crops.
Amid untimely downpours, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) has asked farmers to postpone the harvest of mustard in Punjab and Haryana, and wheat and pulses in central Maharashtra and Madhya Pradesh.
Speaking with news agency PTI, Agriculture Minister Narendra Singh Tomar on Tuesday said that “there is not much impact on rabi crops as per the preliminary assessment.” The state governments are still assessing the damage to the standing rabi crops, he said.
The state governments can use the State Disaster Relief Fund (SDRF) for providing immediate relief to farmers after conducting the crop survey. The central government can provide more funds from the National Disaster Relief Fund after the submission of a memorandum, he added.
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