The strong Western Disturbance that remains active in Western Himalayan region will continue to affect northwestern hills and plains during the next 24 hours. Rain and snowfall will decrease gradually in 24 to 48 hours as the weather system will move out of the region during the period. Rain in Delhi will also reduce during the next 24 hours.
The exit of Western Disturbance will leave a possibility of a significant drop in minimum temperatures that will bring another period of intense cold in northwestern region. According to Mahesh Palawat, head forecaster at Skymet Weather, the night temperatures could plunge by 5 to 8 degrees as wind pattens will change and the winds that are now coming from southwest and southeast will turn to blow from north and northwest.
Winds coming from these directions will induce wind chill in plenty, as they will be taking off from recent snowfall areas of Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. With opening up of the skies, day temperatures would rise gradually in the next three to four days to give some relief during the day time in northwest region. Fog may start developing in northwest region after 48 hours as there will be moisture available in the region in form of left over of the Western Disturbance. Intensity of fog will depend on the wind's speed.
Rain belt will shift towards east India as the effect of Western Disturbance will reach there due to its eastward movement. Rain is expected at a few places in east Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, east Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh and Jharkhand during the next three days.
Photograph by Kyle Tylor