Isolated showers, but rain in north-west India severely deficient in year’s first fortnight

Tribune News Service

Vijay Mohan

Chandigarh, January 13

Isolated showers were experienced at a few places in north India over the past 24 hours, but rainfall in the first fortnight of 2023 has been severely deficient in Haryana, Punjab and Himachal Pradesh.

Rainfall has been deficient by 99 per cent in Haryana and by 96 per cent in Punjab, while Himachal Pradesh has recorded a shortfall of 83 per cent so far this month, according to information released by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Friday.

From January 1 till January 13, Haryana received just a trace of rain against the normal 6.10 mm for this period. The entire state remained dry except for some areas in Mewat and Ambala districts.

Similarly, only two districts in Punjab -- Jalandhar and Nawanshahr -- have received rain. The state has recorded 0.40 mm rain against the normal of 10.90 mm for the aforementioned period.

The hill state of Himachal Pradesh received 6.4 mm rain during this period against the normal of 38.10 mm. All districts in the state received varying amounts of rain, though deficient, except Una, Hamirpur and Solan.

Light to moderate rain and snow was experienced at many places in Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Jammu and Kashmir since Thursday, while the minimum temperatures were in the range of 6-12 degrees Celsius over the plains of north-west India over the past 24 hours. Dense fog also prevailed over some parts.

In its weather bulletin issued on Friday, the IMD has predicted a gradual fall in minimum temperatures by 3-5 degrees Celsius over many parts of northwest India by January 16, but no significant change thereafter.

Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions are likely over some parts of Himachal Pradesh from January 15-17 and over Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh from January 16-18 January, the IMD has forecast.

Dense to very dense fog is also expected to continue in some parts during night and morning hours over Punjab, Haryana and Himachal Pradesh during the next five days and cold day conditions are likely to prevail in some pockets of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh from January 15-17.

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