Winter rains of January never kicked up this season over most parts of the country, leaving many regions terribly dry. Mountains of North India still await the maiden blanket of snow, spreading over popular destinations like Srinagar, Patnitop, Manali, Dalhousie, Shimla, Nainital and Mussoorie. Mid and lower reaches of North Bengal, Sikkim and Arunachal Pradesh also remain in the queue to witness the first snowfall of the season. Higher reaches in the Himalayan range, both in the north and northeast have witnessed weak spells of snow, but are inadequate to replenish the reserves of water bodies.
Under the active northeast monsoon conditions in the first week of January, southern states did receive some heavy rains. Tamil Nadu, Kerala, South Interior Karnataka and Rayalaseema observed a decent wet spell. After the withdrawal of monsoon, rains have literally dried up over these parts, as well. Central parts of the country, inclusive of Gujarat, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh mostly remain dry during this month. Still, there were some unseasonal rains over these parts during the first half of the month. A few showers lashed parts of Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha and Jharkhand, as well.
Nearly drought conditions have prevailed over the plains and mountains of North India. States of Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, Uttrakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and Delhi have missed the rainy bout completely. These parts are rain deficit by almost 100%. Some pockets of East Rajasthan and East Uttar Pradesh have received a few token showers to break the jinx. Northeast India is also rain deficit by over 90%, more so for pockets which are otherwise favourite for winter showers with spaced intervals.
As per records, the month of Jan 2024 has been the most driest, since 2018. There are chances of rain and snowfall in the hills of North India from 25th Jan onward. A moderate-intensity western disturbance is arriving tomorrow. This will be reinforced by another system, in tandem. Also, feeble induced cyclonic circulation will form over the plains increasing the spread of weather activity. Western disturbance will have an extended stay, right till the end of the month. However, the plains and foothills of Punjab and Haryana may also have a brief spell of rain towards fag end of the month and the start of February.
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