Winter season so far has remained subdued over all the hilly states of North India, especially over Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand that at present are largely rain deficient. In fact, as on December 31, Himachal Pradesh is rain deficient by 47% and Uttarakhand is by 72%.
Meanwhile, by end of November, Jammu and Kashmir was rain surplus by almost 38%. However, due to poor rains in the month of December, the state’s surplus got consumed fully and now, the state is 1% rain deficient.
The reason for these poor rains has mainly been attributed to the feeble Western Disturbances. Although frequency was more but they mostly tracked in higher latitudes i.e. the northern parts of Jammu and Kashmir and lasted for short durations only.
This season also observed early arrival of snowfall activity in few places over the Western Himalayas. In fact, popular tourist destination, Shimla even witnessed pre-Christmas snowfall after decades. But even after early arrival of snow, the hills still did not manage to cover up their deficiency.
Now, as two back to back Western Disturbances are approaching the northern hills, we expect first week of January to experience widespread rain and snowfall activities.
Just after missing New Year’s eve, rain and snow will commence over most places of Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand January 1 onwards. However, with a short break on January 3, another rainy spell will be observed over the hills which is expected to last till January 6.
Thereafter, from January 7, weather over the hills will start clearing up. Thus, we can say that the northern hills are all set to begin the New Year on a rainy note.
Talking about temperatures, people across the region would be under the tight grip of severe cold wave conditions. Both maximum and minimum temperatures would drop significantly across the three states.
Image Credits – Indian Express
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