The well anticipated prolonged spell of rain in North India has almost come to an end. Sufficient advance notice was cited for this unseasonal rain in entire Indo-Gangetic plains including the hilly states of North India.
The spell of rain began on March 11 (some rain and snow were observed in Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh on March 10 itself) and is likely to continue till the 14th.
Also read, Much awaited prolonged spell of rain reaches Delhi, North India
It has rained sufficiently on March 12 and 13. Alerts and warning were given out for flooding and landslides in the hills. Though Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh received good showers during the last couple of days, no flooding was reported. However, landslide was reported in Vaishno Devi.
Good showers have been witnessed in Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi-NCR, Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Chhattisgarh, Jharkhand and Bihar. Maharashtra has received light rainfall only. This spell of rain accompanied by strong winds and hailstorm brought immense damage to crops like wheat and mustard among others.
Several places have surpassed the monthly average rainfall in just few days. Jammu received 83 mm of rainfall during last 4 days, leaving behind the monthly normal of 75 mm. Shimla in Himachal Pradesh also received 64 mm from March 12 to 13. We are just halfway through the month and Chandigarh has already received 60 mm of rain against the normal of 30 mm. In short, this spell of rainfall brought more than 50 mm of rain in most parts of North India.
Strong winds and heavy rain killed 5 people in Meerut after a house collapsed on Sunday morning. Click here to read the full story.
Rain forecast for March
The condition will now improve in North India. Weather will remain dry for the next two days before another Western Disturbance starts affecting weather from March 17. The hilly states and foothills of Punjab and Haryana will be particularly affected. However, this spell of rain will be milder than the previous one. A long break from rain and hailstorm will be observed between March 22 and 26. North India will once again see some light to moderate rain during the fag end of the month into April.
Image credit - kntvnews.in
