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Why this cloudy weather? Here’s what the Met man says
Rainy, foggy, windy and grey outside your window? Blame it on an intense western disturbance affecting the northern and northwestern regions. In the north, this has caused rain, snowfall and thunderstorms – and they will stay for the next few days.
The good thing: it’ll get colder, but a lot of the persistent pollution in northern parts of India will clear up.
Northern and Northwestern India
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A powerful western disturbance has triggered significant weather activity over the past couple of days (January 22–23), with fairly widespread to widespread rainfall and snowfall across the Western Himalayan Region, including Jammu & Kashmir, Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh, and Uttarakhand. Isolated heavy rainfall/snowfall occurred in places like the Kashmir Valley and higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, accompanied by hailstorms, lightning, and gusty winds (up to 40–60 kmph in some areas).
In the plains of northwest India:
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- Delhi-NCR recorded light to moderate rainfall, thunderstorms, and gusty winds on January 23, following an unusually warm day prior (maximum of 27.1°C on January 22, the warmest January day in seven years). Morning fog and cloudy skies persist, with daytime highs dropping noticeably (around 19–20°C expected soon after the rain spell). A yellow alert was in place for rain and thunderstorms.
- Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, and parts of Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh saw light to moderate showers, with isolated heavy rain in Punjab on January 23. Dense fog has been reported in morning and night hours in isolated pockets across Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, north Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, and Bihar.
- Cold day conditions appeared in isolated pockets (e.g., parts of Uttarakhand, Punjab, Haryana, and Uttar Pradesh earlier in the week), though daytime temperatures have been above normal in many places recently.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) indicates that this disturbance's effects are tapering off after January 23–24, but a fresh western disturbance is likely to approach northwest India around January 26–28, potentially bringing another round of isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall over the Western Himalayas and light precipitation in adjoining plains.
Dense fog is expected to continue in isolated pockets over parts of northwest and northern plains during early mornings in the coming days (through at least late January), which may impact visibility, road, rail, and air travel.
In the rest of the country:
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- Central, Eastern, and Southern India : Largely dry and stable conditions prevail, with no major rainfall systems active. Minimum temperatures are near or slightly below normal in some eastern and central areas, but no widespread cold wave alerts are in effect. Northeast monsoon rains have already ceased over southeast peninsular India.
- Western Himalayan higher reaches : Snowfall continues to benefit winter tourism and water resources, though travellers should watch for disruptions due to road closures from heavy snow or hail.
Forecast for the next few days:
- Rainfall activity overall is expected to remain below normal across most of India through late January.
- After January 24, dry weather is likely to return to the northwest plains, with a gradual rise or stabilization in temperatures.
- Another western disturbance from January 26 could bring isolated snowfall/rainfall to the hills and light rain to some plains areas again.
- Dense morning fog will remain a feature in northern states (Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, UP, Bihar, etc.) for several more days.
- Southern and central regions should stay mostly dry, sunny, and mild (daytime highs typically 24–28°C in many areas).