Makar Sankranti is literally a sequel to Lohri, which is invariably celedrated on 13thJan. Lohri is the celebration of the arrival of longer days after the winter solstice. Makar Sankranti falls a day later, 14thJan and on this day , farmers across India pay tribute to Sun God and wish for a good crop. Pongal also falls on the same day and signifies commencement of harvest of crop. Pongal is a 4day long festival celebrated mostly in the states of South India, especially Tamil Nadu. The festival also finds its parallel as Bihu in Assam and Push Sankranti in West Bengal.
Diverse weather conditions are likely to be witnessed in the respective parts amid celebration of Makar Sankranti in North, Bihu in Northeast and Pongal in Tamil Nadu. North India gets seized with nasty weather conditions on account of snow and cold. Tamil Nadu continues with sporadic wet spell even after cessation of Northeast Monsoon, albeit mild and scanty. Remnant of western disturbance, while moving eastward, does trigger damp and moist conditions over Northeast India.
In continuation with the nippy conditions on Lohri, biting cold will continue to harass northern plains on Makar Sankranti. Partial cloud cover is likely during the day, finding clearance in the late evening and night. Many places in North Rajasthan could come under cold wave conditions with the mercury plunging to 4°C or less. Churu, Chittorgarh, Sikar, Bundi and Bhilwara are vulnerable to biting cold. Amritsar, Bathinda, Pathankot and Jalandhar could potentially record cold wave in pockets. Sirsa, Narnaul and Hisar in Haryana may also compete for stinging cold conditions. National capital may escape the cold wave mark by a degree or so. However, the spread and intensity of cold day condition may deter masses to customary deep dive in the rivers and streams. Fog in patches to start with and misty conditions with mild breeze later, will prominently be on display throughout the day. No rain is expected anywhere in the plains tomorrow over North India.
Tamil Nadu, the mainstay of Pongal, is likely to observe clouds and rain, albeit light, at many places. A cyclonic circulation over Southwest Bay of Bengal is driving moist winds along the coast, intruding deep inland. The 4day long festival is likely to witness similar conditions for the rest of the days, as well. Coimbatore, Tirupur, Erode, Salem, Madurai, Trichy and Thanjavur are expected to have rain and showers, mostly towards evening. The capital city Chennai and the coastal towns like Nagapattinam, Karaikal and Puducherry will witness hit and miss showers between 13th and 17thJan.
For Northeast India, Bihu may not be as wet as Lohri. Rains are likely over most parts today, particularly Arunachal Pradesh and Assam. These showers will reduce in intensity and also become scanty tomorrow. Significant improvement is expected across the region from 15thJan onward.
