According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, weather in Uttarakhand will continue to remain cloudy and rainy for the next two days. A weather alert issued at 10:01 hrs by Skymet on Tuesday said that moderate rain and thundershowers are likely at some places in Uttarakhand with strong average winds of 30 kmph gusting at 50 kmph during the next 4 to 10 hours.
Several places in the state witnessed precipitation in the last 24 hours with capital Dehradun recording 7.5 mm of rain, Haridwar 10 mm, Mukteshwar 10.2 mm and Joshimath 14 mm. Due to snowfall in Shrine area in Kedarnath, the yatra has been suspended till May 16.
"Yatra to Kedarnath has been suspended till May 16. Snowfall continues in the shrine area and lower Kedar Valley is being lashed by showers," Badrinath-Kedarnath Temple Committee CEO V D Singh told PTI. He further said that Yatra to Badrinath had also been temporarily halted as Nar Narayan Parbat in whose lap the temple is located received fresh snowfall last (Monday) evening.
Singh said that while devotees going to the eighth century shrine of Kedarnath have been stopped at Sonprayag and Linchauli about 4 kms away from the temple, those heading for Badrinath have been asked not to go beyond Joshimath till the weather improves.
Looking at the weather forecast, the chopper services that had been tentatively scheduled to be launched between Linchauli and Kedarnath on 12th May will now begin on 17th May. The state is likely to remain under the influence of a Western Disturbance during next two days.
According to latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, North and Northeast India will observe rain this week. Central and South India will remain mostly dry. Here’s a look at the weather forecast in India for the entire week:
North India - Weather in North India will remain rainy for most part of the week. Beginning from Monday, rain will continue till Wednesday as a result of the Western Disturbance and the circulation near west Rajasthan. In the plains, widespread rain will lash Delhi, Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh. Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh will also receive rain. Rainy weather in Uttarakhand till the middle of the week will interrupt the ‘Char Dham Yatra’. After a short break on the 15th of May, rain will again begin on 16th May and continue till 18th May. In view of rain and clouds temperatures at many places in North India will record 3 to 6 degrees below the normal average.
East and Northeast India - Because of a flow of flat northwesterly winds which are warm and dry in nature, the weather in East India, i.e. in west Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, West Bengal and Jharkhand will be one of the hottest in India. Maximums in these states will settle between 40⁰C and 44⁰C. On the other hand, the weather in Northeast India will be cool and cloudy. Continuous moderate spells of rain will pull down the maximums to higher twenties at many places. Fairly widespread rain showers will also occur in Sub Himalayan West Bengal.
Central India - Other than light/very light isolated rain in Vidarbha, Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, no major weather activity is expected in Central India. Rain in these states could occur on the 13th and 16th of May, which could lead to a marginal drop in the maximums. Odisha will experience dry weather throughout the week and the maximum could touch 42⁰C. With minimums settling in the higher twenties, nights too will be warm in Odisha.
South India – The weather in South India will largely be dry this week. Rain will be isolated in Tamil Nadu and Kerala because of a wind discontinuity (confluence of dry land winds and warm and humid sea winds). In the absence of rain, temperatures will start rising in South India. While most parts will see maximums settling in the mid or higher thirties, some parts of Andhra Pradesh will observe day temperatures above 40⁰C.
Photo by Ritika Acharya.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, a cyclonic circulation in north Andaman Sea may become stronger to emerge as a low pressure area by weekend.
Weathermen at Skymet Meteorology Division in India say that the location and time are favourable for the strengthening of such weather system into a tropical storm or cyclone. However, they will keep a watch on the weather system during the next 24 hours, which first appeared on Monday. This might turn into this season's first tropical storm or cyclone in the Bay of Bengal.
Weathermen are of the view that a strong weather system just two weeks before the normal onset date could delay the arrival of the Southwest Monsoon. They explain that since a cyclone takes away lots of energy, it could take time to fill the energy which pushes moist southwesterly winds towards India to give monsoon rain. However, they claim that if the weather system brewing in the Bay of Bengal remains a depression, it will be very useful and could really help the Southwest Monsoon in India to reach on time.
After evolving as a stronger system towards the weekend, there are 50 percent chances of the weather system re-curving and moving towards Myanmar coast, while there is 30 per cent chance of the system heading towards Bangladesh. There are only 20 per cent chances that the weather system will reach the east coast of India. If it heads towards India it may affect north Odisha and adjoining West Bengal at the start of next week.
“It is summer, but where is the summer heat? Infamous for soaring mercury levels and boiling heat, the month of May has been unusually rainy and cool in Delhi and North India till now. And according to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, this year Delhi could observe the coolest May in years to come.
Minimum Temperatures
Following an early morning spell of strong thunderstorm and heavy rain on Tuesday, the minimum temperature in Delhi dropped to record 18⁰C (7 degrees below normal), the lowest in last ten years. The last time Delhi recorded such low minimum was in the year 2004 when the mercury dropped to settle at 16.7⁰C.
Delhi’s all time low has been 15.7⁰C, which was recorded in 1982 on 14th May. On Wednesday the minimum in Delhi could rise a couple of notches to settle around 21⁰C, but that will not bother much as it will still be below average. In the coming days, the minimum temperature in Delhi could rise to settle between 23⁰C and 25⁰C, which is again around the normal average.
Maximum Temperatures
In one of the hottest months, when the average maximum temperature in the capital city is 40⁰C, the maximums have been continuously recording between 35⁰C and 38⁰C for the last ten days, which has made the weather in Delhi cool and pleasant.
That’s not all… Skymet forecast suggest that Tuesday could record the lowest maximum (around 30⁰C) of the month. May will continue to surprise Delhiites as the day temperature would continue to record below 40⁰C, at least till the 20th of the month. It may touch 40⁰C towards the last week of May.
The hottest maximum temperature Delhi has ever recorded is 47.2⁰C, in 1944. However, the second hottest maximum of 45.7⁰C was observed just last year.
Rainfall
Not only the hottest, May is also one of the driest months in Delhi. But in the run up to the unusual weather events in India this year, Delhi has recorded about 34 mm of rain till now. And with more rainy days to come this week as well, rain figures in Delhi could easily double the current figure.
“Rainfall in the month of May shows extreme variation, anything from traces of rain in the entire month (like in the year 2013), to rain in three digits (165 mm in 2008). Considering this, the average rain for the month is around 23 mm”, explains G.P Sharma of Skymet Meteorology Division in India. Records show, after 2008, rain in Delhi during May exceeded the normal figure only in 2009 (65.8 mm).
Forecast
“Cool weather in Delhi during May is indeed unusual. A number of Western Disturbances moving across Jammu and Kashmir, as well as formation of a number of cyclonic circulations in northern plains is the reason for continuous spells of rain. This makes the weather cool and cloudy as the mercury settles way below the normal average”, said G.P Sharma.
“We are once again expecting rain to lash Delhi and northern plains on Wednesday. After a break of about 24 hours, thundershowers will begin again, possibly continuing till the beginning of the next week”, he added.
Photo by Ritika Acharya.
Skymet Satellite images show two active weather systems, one over Jammu & Kashmir as a Western Disturbance and the other over Haryana as a cyclonic circulation. Due to their presence, rain and thundershowers will continue in Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and west Uttar Pradesh for the next 24 hours.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, after this period, rain will reduce in southern parts of northwest plains but will continue in Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand as the weather systems will move in an east-northeast direction.
The period of cloudy skies, rain and strong winds has had a bearing on the day temperatures in northwest plains and adjoining areas. Maximum temperatures are below normal by up to six degrees in Jammu & Kashmir, Madhya Pradesh, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi and west Uttar Pradesh.
On the other hand, hot and dry land winds have further pushed up the maximum temperatures in East India over east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand and Gangetic West Bengal Some pockets witnessed heat wave like conditions. Bankura in West Bengal recorded 43.6°C as the maximum temperature on Monday, while Jamshedpur in Jharkhand registered 43°C.
According to the latest weather update by Skymet Meteorology Division in India, day temperatures may sustain for the next 24 hours in the region but they will fall once some weather system from the western side reaches here to replace the hot winds with moist ones. However, there is some rain happening in the proximity (sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim) due to which temperatures will not rise further.
Meanwhile, rain in sub-Himalayan West Bengal and northeastern states will reduce in the next 48 hours. The trough of low now extends from sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim to Odisha across Jharkhand. Due to this weather system, winds will continue to remain southwesterly in the region. .
The weather in South India will become more hot in the absence of rain. The wind discontinuity that is seen from south Chhattisgarh to Tamil Nadu across Telangana and Rayalaseema has weakened and is unlikely to cause any rain in these areas.
