Best time to visit the unforgettable Udaipur

Udaipur also known as the ‘Venice of East’, is a man-made beauty and a home to the Rajasthani royalty. The city is filled with ornate palaces, lush street art, serene lakes and bustling markets. As soon as you hear the name of Udaipur, you will readily relate it as one hub that Bollywood celebs choose for their destination weddings. Many Hollywood and Bollywood movies have been shot here. The iconic Udaipur palace surrounded by the lake is one unforgettable sight.

So, if also are feeling an itch in your feet already and seems like the city is calling, you need to read this-

Summers (March to June)

Rajasthan resides in the inhospitable Thar Desert. The summers are hot and brutal when at times the temperatures even touch 38°C at times.

Monsoon (June to September)

This is when the place experiences rains. Monsoons are heralded by dust and thunderstorms. The city receives around 637 mm of rainfall annually. This scanty amount of rainfall makes Udaipur more humid. The humidity reaches to the extent of 90 % during the months of Monsoons.

Winter (October-February)

Winters are mild here, with warm-to-cool temperatures. If you plan to visit Rajasthan this indeed is the the best time. The temperature at times fall to the level of 11.6°C in the nights.

The Winter season sees many regional festivals specially Mewar Festival which is surely not to be missed with its colorful processions, fireworks and traditional song and dance.

Things to do and Places to visit in Udaipur

The City Palace

The unique thing about the palace- its built by 22 different Maharanas between the 16th and 20th centuries.

Lake Pichola

The largest lake of Udaipur- is the lifeline of the city which houses the famous Jag Mandir. A sunset scene from here is something not to be missed.

Jag Mandir

Located on the Island of Lake Pichola, it’s the most majestic feature in the town with its stunning, black and white marble flooring. Its as picturesque as it seems.

Key holidays and events include the vibrant Holi Festival of Colors, for which the royal family hosts an elaborate celebration at City Palace; and the Mewar Festival when numerous processions take place around the city. If you are at Udaipur during these fetivities consider yourself lucky!

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Cloning to change the future of agriculture

As per the recent discovery, plant breeders and geneticists have been successful in finding and propagating high yield, disease resistant, climate tolerant crops that could be made available to the world's farmers.

Since 1920s, there are many crops which have grown from hybrid seeds. These hybrids can have superior qualities in areas such as yield or pest resistance. However, the seeds of hybrid crops don't produce plants with the same qualities.

The ability to produce a clone, of a plant from its seeds would be a major breakthrough for the agriculture world. Instead of purchasing hybrid seeds every year, farmers could replant seeds from their own hybrid plants and derive the benefits of high yields year after year.

It has come to notice that nearly 400 species of wild plants can produce viable seeds sans any fertilization.

Researchers have discovered that the rice gene BBM1, belonging to a family of plant genes called 'Baby Boom' or BBM, is expressed in sperm cells but not in eggs. Post fertlization, BBM1 is expressed in the fertilized cell but at least initially, the expression comes from the male contribution to the genome.

The researches initially used gene editing to prevent the plants from going through meiosis. Instead, the egg cells form by mitosis, inherited a full set of chromosomes from the mother.

Hence, resulting in a diploid egg cell with the ability to make an embryo that grows into a clonal seed.

Till now, the process has an efficiency of about 30%. The researchers are in a hope that efficiency can be increased with more research. Similar approach could be applied in cereal crops too which have equivalent BBM1 genes.

It will not be wrong to say that basic biology has resulted in major results. This work addresses fundamental questions in plant biology about how a fertilized egg begins to develop into a new plant.

This basic understanding has paved a way in plant agriculture by avoiding the loss of beneficial traits that can occur through sexual reproduction.

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Two more days of rain in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh

In the last two to three days several parts of Madhya Pradesh have been receiving good amount of rain and thundershower activities. These pre-Monsoon activities were at their peak yesterday when many districts of Madhya Pradesh received light to moderate rains accompanied with one or two heavy spells. Chhattisgarh also received scattered rain and thundershower activities.

At present, a Confluence Zone has formed over Central parts of Uttar Pradesh wherein the Southwesterly winds from Arabian sea are merging with the Southeasterly winds from Bay Bengal over Central parts of Uttar Pradesh.

Due to this Confluence Zone, we expect rain and thundershower activities to continue over many parts of Madhya Pradesh, today. One or two heavy spells accompanied with lightening and dust storm cannot be ruled out. Strong surface winds of 40-50 kmph (gusting to 60 kmph) are also expected at few places in Madhya Pradesh. Scattered rain and thundershower activities are likely to continue over Chhattisgarh.

Gradually, this Confluence Zone will shift eastward. Thus, by tomorrow the weather in Madhya Pradesh will clear up. Chhattisgarh on the other hand, may receive isolated scattered rain tomorrow as well.

By April 19, the weather in both the states will clear up giving way for clear skies and bright sunshine. Temperatures which are below normal at most places will once again start rising.

By April 20, we expect the day temperature in parts of Madhya Pradesh to rise once again and touch the 40 degrees Celsius mark. However, heat wave conditions will not make an immediate comeback in the region.

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Abounding in natural beauty, Shimla has retained its colonial charm

Shimla at an altitude of 2,205 metres is the summer capital of the British Raj and still adorns the crown of all hills. It is the capital city of the Himachal Pradesh and is famously known as the Queen of hills (nicknamed by Britishers).

Shimla’s rich heritage and natural beauty make it a popular holiday destination even today. Set amidst beautiful hills and mystical woods, it has been a very popular hill-station among Indian families and honeymooners since the last 50 years.

The Mall, Ridge, Summer Hill, Christ Church, Scandal Point, Himalayan Bird Park, Jakhu Hill, Gaiety Theatre and many more attractions are here to see. Ice skating, Skiing, Mountain Biking and Paragliding are heavenly activities for adventure trippers. The awe-inspiring Victorian-style houses, bustling markets of the Mall Road and Lakkar Bazaar and the toy train ride from Kalka to Shimla are not to miss things while touring this hilly resort.

Shimla is a year-round holiday destination popular with families and couples. Here’s a seasonal break up so you can plan your trip accordingly:

Summer- March to June: This is a popular tourist season in Shimla as the weather is quite pleasant and perfect for outdoor activities. The temperature is comfortable and usually varies between 15°C and 30°C. If you are into adventure sports then this is the ideal time to try paragliding, trekking, camping and rafting.

Monsoon - July to September: This is not peak season in Shimla because of heavy rainfall and occasional landslides. But monsoon brings out the lush character of the hill station.

Winter - October to February: This is again a popular season for Shimla for people who are looking for snow, which typically falls between December and February. This is the time skiing and ice skating take off. The average temperature during this season is around 8°C and goes down to -2°C.

Shimla is one of the most easily accessible hill stations in India. People who are wondering how to reach Shimla and its rich verdure by road or even by the narrow-gauge railway, here are a few ways:

Shimla is easily accessible by road and makes for a great drive from nearby Delhi (340 kilometers) and Chandigarh (115 kilometers). Public buses run by Himachal Road Transport Corporation and private taxis ply frequently from nearby towns and cities.

The toy train from Kalka to Shimla is a charming way to get to the hill station. Kalka is connected by several trains from Delhi and Chandigarh. The Kalka Shatabdi Express from New Delhi Railway Station to Kalka Railway Station takes 4 hours 10 minutes and is the fastest train plying the route.

Jabarhatti, 22 kilometers from Shimla is where the nearest airport was located. However, due to altitude and load restrictions, commercial planes no longer operate to and from here. Chandigarh, at a distance of 115 kilometers, is the next nearest airport to Shimla.

Shimla is a popular holiday destination 365 days a year. Abounding in natural beauty, the town has retained its colonial charm. Easily accessible, Shimla sees visitors from far and near who are allured by Shimla’s distinct character.

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Chandigarh, Amritsar, Patiala, Ambala, Karnal and Hisar to witness rain today

In the last couple of days pre-Monsoon activities have picked up pace over most parts of North India including Punjab and Haryana. During the last 24 hours, dust storm followed by fairly widespread rain and thundershower activities were observed in most parts of the states.

Due to the weather activity, the day temperatures of most places in Punjab and Haryana have dropped significantly and are currently below normal. Yesterday, Chandigarh saw the maximum plummet three degrees to settle at 31.9˚C, followed by Patiala 31.4˚C, Hisar 30.7˚C, Karnal 30.6˚C and Amritsar 30.4˚C.

These weather activities have been attributed to the Western Disturbance persisting over Jammu and Kashmir and its induced cyclonic circulation over Northwest Rajasthan. A trough is also extending across Haryana to West Uttar Pradesh.

Now the Western Disturbance is moving eastwards, and its induced cyclonic circulation is seen over Punjab and Haryana. The trough is running away from this system towards Northwest Uttar Pradesh.

With the weather systems gradually moving away, we expect rain and thundershowers activities to continue over many parts of Punjab and few parts of Haryana today.

By April 18, these weather systems will move away completely, clearing up the sky in Punjab and Haryana. This will then lead to rise in day temperatures. Significant rise will be observed in maximums over these states April 19 onward.

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17 अप्रैल का मौसम पूर्वानुमान: उत्तर भारत में जारी रहेगी अच्छी बारिश, पूर्वी उत्तर प्रदेश, बिहार, झारखंड में भी वर्षा के आसार

बीते 2 दिनों से उत्तर भारत में पहाड़ों से लेकर मैदानी इलाकों तक मौसम में हलचल बनी हुई है। 2 दिन पहले तक जो इलाके तेज गर्मी और लू की गिरफ्त में थे, वहाँ अब मौसम सुहावना हो गया है। इसका क्रेडिट आप दे सकते हैं उत्तर भारत में आए पश्चिमी विक्षोभ को, जो इस समय पूर्वी जम्मू कश्मीर के पास है। इसके प्रभाव से विकसित हुआ चक्रवाती क्षेत्र पंजाब और हरियाणा पर पहुंच गया है। साथ ही उत्तर भारत के मैदानी भागों में एक ट्रफ भी सक्रिय है।

इन सभी सिस्टमों के कारण जम्मू कश्मीर, हिमाचल प्रदेश और उत्तराखंड में 17 अप्रैल को भी अधिकांश स्थानों पर हल्की से मध्यम बारिश जारी रहने की संभावना है। उत्तराखंड में कुछ जगहों पर भारी वर्षा हो सकती है। मैदानी भागों में पंजाब हरियाणा पश्चिमी उत्तर प्रदेश में आँधी और गर्जना के साथ अच्छी बारिश की उम्मीद है। एक-दो स्थानों पर ओले भी गिर सकते हैं। हालांकि दिल्ली और राजस्थान में मौसम कम सक्रिय होगा और इन भागों में एक-दो स्थानों पर गरज के साथ हल्की वर्षा के आसार हैं।

गुजरात और पश्चिमी मध्य प्रदेश में सभी स्थानों पर एक बार फिर से मौसम शुष्क हो जाएगा। पिछले दो दिन इन क्षेत्रों में भी वर्षा हुई। अब पूर्वी मध्य प्रदेश, छत्तीसगढ़ और महाराष्ट्र के विदर्भ क्षेत्र में बारिश की संभावना है बारिश बंद होने के कारण दक्षिणी राजस्थान, गुजरात और पश्चिमी मध्य प्रदेश में तापमान बढ़ेगा।

पूर्वी भारत में आज प्रयागराज, वाराणसी, गोरखपुर सहित पूर्वी उत्तर प्रदेश, पटना, गया, रांची सहित बिहार और झारखंड में कुछ स्थानों पर गर्जना के साथ वर्षा की संभावना है। ओडिशा और पश्चिम बंगाल में कहीं-कहीं बारिश हो सकती है। बंगाल की खाड़ी से हवाएँ पूर्वोत्तर राज्यों में लगातार आ रही हैं। जिससे हिमालय से सटे पश्चिम बंगाल, सिक्किम, असम, मेघालय और नागालैंड में 17 अप्रैल तक अच्छी बारिश हो सकती है।

Click the image below to see the live lightning and thunderstorm across India

दक्षिण भारत में तेलंगाना से आंतरिक कर्नाटक तक एक ट्रफ बनी हुई है। जिसके कारण आज तेलंगाना, तटीय आंध्र प्रदेश, कर्नाटक और केरल में एक-दो स्थानों पर प्री-मॉनसून वर्षा हो सकती। है तमिलनाडु में बुधवार को मौसम सूखा रहेगा।

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Weather Forecast April 17: Rain in Kashmir, Himachal Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and UP to continue

The Western Disturbance now lies over East Jammu and Kashmir. Its induced cyclonic circulation is seen over Punjab and adjoining areas. And a trough is extending from this system up to Southeast Uttar Pradesh across Haryana. Therefore, light to moderate rain and thundershowers will continue over the hills of North India. Uttarakhand may receive one or two heavy spells of rain. Punjab, Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh will also witness good rain and thundershowers with isolated dust storm and hailstorm activities. One or two spells of rain are also expected in Delhi-NCR and East Rajasthan.

Weather of Gujarat and West Madhya Pradesh will become dry. Whereas, scattered rain and thundershowers will continue over East Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Vidarbha. Day temperatures will rise over South Rajasthan, Gujarat and West Madhya Pradesh.

In East/Northeast India, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand will receive scattered rain and thundershowers. Isolated rains are possible over Gangetic West Bengal and Odisha. Due to the cyclonic circulation over Assam, good rains will continue over Sub-Himalayan West Bengal, Sikkim, Assam, Meghalaya and Nagaland.

Click the image below to see the live lightning and thunderstorm across India

Lastly in South India, due to the trough running across Telangana and Interior Karnataka, we expect isolated rains over Telangana, Coastal Andhra Pradesh, Karnataka and Kerala. Tamil Nadu will remain almost dry.

Any information taken from here should be credited to skymetweather.com

Rain in Tamil Nadu, Kerala, parts of Karnataka coming up

For South India, Pre Monsoon begins in March itself, unlike the north where Pre Monsoon only begins around April. In fact, for the southern parts, heat as well as thundershowers make an appearance during this time, making March to May, the Pre Monsoon months.

The intensity and frequency of Pre Monsoon activity only increases as months pass by with Kerala seeing the highest rains at 300 mm between March and May wherein March sees 30 mm, April 109.5 mm, and May 240 mm. During the second half of May, which is the waiting period for Monsoon rains in Kerala, Pre Monsoon showers pick up pace to quite an extent.

Tamil Nadu also sees good rains in the Pre Monsoon season at a good 128 mm while the state does not see rains in Monsoon, due to it being a rain shadow area. Pre Monsoon is fairly alright for Tamil Nadu with March seeing 18 mm of rains, April 42 mm, and May 68 mm.

This season has been disappointing so far with just North Interior Karnataka and Coastal Karnataka seeing surplus rains while rest of South India has remained deficient.

Kerala remains deficient by 70 percent, while Tamil Nadu saw even lesser rains with the state being 89 percent deficient.

Weather Forecast

Tamil Nadu and Kerala see rains in view of Wind discontinuity or Interior Peninsular trough from East or Central to the southern parts.

In the coming days, rainfall activity is all set to pick up over the southern parts mainly the states of Kerala and Tamil Nadu, as well as South Interior Karnataka.

A trough is running from Maharashtra across Rayalaseema to the southern tip.

Rains will start with Kerala today and will occur only during he later half of day due to Pre Monsoon showers.

Thereafter, the trough will shift to the eastern coast, and rains will also be seen over South Interior Karnataka as well as Tamil Nadu.

For the next four to five days, these showers of varied intensity will continue over many parts. In fact, the cities of Bengaluru and Chennai will also see some rainfall.

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Pre-Monsoon rain in Ahmedabad, Rajkot, Deesa, and Gandhinagar, heat wave abates

Like rest of Northwest India, Gujarat has witnessed pre-Monsoon rain and thundershowers on Tuesday. Intense clouding appeared over many parts of Gujarat by afternoon hours, with rains following soon.

Places such as Ahmedabad, Deesa, Idar, Gandhinagar, Rajkot, Surendranagar, Mehsana, and Palanpur have all reported weather activity of varying intensity. These showers were also accompanied with squally winds.

According to Skymet Weather, these showers are here to stay for the next couple of hours. We can expect a pleasant evening and night ahead.

Click here to checkout live lightning and rain status across Gujarat

These rains were on account of a Western Disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir that has induced a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan. A trough from this system is also extending up to West Uttar Pradesh.

With this ongoing weather activities, maximum temperatures have already dropped across the state. In wake of this, heat wave conditions have abated from most parts.

However, we expect these pre-Monsoon activities to take a back seat by April 17 as the weather systems would move westwards. Maximum temperatures would once again show a rising trend but since winds would be as hot as they were, the rise would be gradual. Thus, heat wave is not likely to return anytime soon to Gujarat.

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After rains, heat wave to visit Jalgaon, Nagpur, Parbhani, Akola, Chandrapur again

Fairly widespread rains have been occurring over many parts of Maharashtra in the last 24 hours. Vidarbha and North Madhya Maharashtra in particular, have seen good showers wherein cities including Yavatmal, Malegaon, Wardha, Nagpur, Chandrapur, and Amravati saw moderate rains.

Marathwada also saw some rains including Pune, Nashik, Parbhani, Beed, Solapur along with Mahabaleshwar in Konkan saw scattered rains. However, almost all areas in coastal Maharashtra remained dry.

A cyclonic Circulation over Southwest Rajasthan along with this a trough was extending from North Afghanistan to Arabian Sea on higher levels around 10,000 feet. Due to this, moisture incursion was taking place over the state.

A trough is also travelling via East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha up to Interior Karnataka. Thus, light to moderate rains are expected to continue over Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathwada until tonight.

However, thereafter, these weather features will move towards the east, due to which Madhya Maharashtra will see clear weather conditions.

By tomorrow, entire Maharashtra will see clear weather conditions and temperatures which have dropped over Vidarbha and other parts of the state by three to four degrees Celsius will crawl back to normal. From April 18 and 19, maximums will increase again and temperatures which are settling below 40-degrees will cross the 40-degree mark.

In fact, heat wave conditions will make a comeback over Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra and parts of Mahrathwada including the cities of Jalgaon, Nagpur, Parbhani, Solapur, Akola, Amravati, Chandrapur by April 19.

Dust storm, rain in Delhi begin, day maximum drops by six degrees

As predicted by Skymet Weather, another spell of dust storm and rain in Delhi has begun. Intense clouding was seen engulfing the national capital and adjoining areas of Gurugram, Faridabad, Noida and Ghaziabad since afternoon only.

These weather conditions had also restricted the rise in day temperatures. As a result, on Tuesday, Delhi NCR recorded maximum temperature at mere 30.7C. This was six notches below the normal average.

Many places in South Delhi such as Palam, Dhaula Kuan, Mahipalpur are already reporting strong winds. Rains are likely to begin any time now. In fact, few places might have started with some rains already.

After pleasant day, Delhiites are now bracing for even more pleasant evening and night. Not only this, we can expect this comfortable weather to persist on Wednesday as well. As per weathermen, we can expect more pre-Monsoon activities on Wednesday but with reduced intensity.

We expect clearance by April 18, but rising mercury and presence of humidity in atmosphere may lead to isolated short spell of rains in Delhi.

These rains can be attributed to the Western Disturbance over Jammu and Kashmir that has induced a cyclonic circulation over Rajasthan. A trough from this system is also extending up to West Uttar Pradesh.

The present weather conditions are bliss for the people of the capital, which have been reeling under heat wave conditions for the past few days. Monday saw day maximums reaching 40-degree mark, which has been highest temperature in the season so far.

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Dust storm, rain lash Jaipur, Bikaner and Sikar, pleasant weather ahead

Updated on April 16, 2019 6:30 PM: Dust storm, rain lash Jaipur, Bikaner and Sikar, pleasant weather ahead

Widespread rain and thundershowers lashed several parts of Rajasthan on Tuesday afternoon. Particularly places like Sikar, and Jaipur recorded good amount of weather activities.

Intense thunderclouds had developed over the state during the afternoon hours, with rains finally making an appearance in evening. These rains and thundershowers are likely to continue for couple of hours, resulting extremely pleasant evening and night.

We expect these pre-Monsoon activities to start receding by April 17 as the weather systems would move westwards. However, few isolated spells cannot be ruled out.

Maximum temperatures would once again show a rising trend but since winds would be as hot as they were, the rise would be gradual.

More dust storm, rain in Jaipur, Sri Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Churu, Bikaner and Sikar

As predicted by Skymet Weather, pre-Monsoon activities have picked up pace across Rajasthan during the last 24 hours. The induced cyclonic circulation over West Rajasthan has resulted in fairly widespread rain and thundershower activities over many parts of Rajasthan. Particularly places like Chittorgarh and Sri Ganganagar witnessed heavy rain and thundershowers with isolated hailstorm activity.

In fact, many other districts such as Hanumangarh, Churu, Bikaner, Nagaur, Sikar, Alwar, Jhunjhunu, Dausa and Bharatpur also witnessed dust storm activity followed by rain and thundershowers.

Now this cyclonic circulation is still persisting, and a trough is extending from this system up to northern parts of Madhya Pradesh. Therefore, we expect on and off rain and thundershowers with dust storm to continue over many parts of Rajasthan, particularly the northern half.

Have a look at the live status of lightning and thunderstorm across India

The intensity and spread of these weather activities will be very less over the southern half of Rajasthan which is adjacent to Gujarat. Places like Barmer, Jodhpur may receive isolated rain and thundershowers only. These weather activities are expected to continue to till April 17.

Weather Alert: Dust storm and thundershower activities with strong winds (50-70 kmph) will affect over many places such as Ajmer, Alwar, Banswara, Baran, Barmer, Bharatpur, Bhilwara, Bikaner, Bundi, Chittorgarh, Churu, Dausa, Dholpur, Dungarpur, Ganganagar, Hanumangarh, Jaipur, Jaisalmer, Jalor, Jhalawar, Jhunjhunu, Jodhpur, Karauli, Kota, Nagaur, Pali, Pratapgarh, Rajsamand, Sawai Madhopur, Sikar, Sirohi, Tonk and Udaipur the districts of Rajasthan between April 15 to 17, 2019.

Due to these rains, heat wave conditions have abated from almost all parts of Rajasthan as the day temperatures have witnessed a significant fall.

By April 18, rains will vacate most parts of Rajasthan and weather will become almost dry. Moreover, we expect day temperatures to start rising once again and heat wave conditions to make a comeback.

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