Thunderstorm shield against heat for most parts this week

Thunderstorm activity expected over most parts of the country may prevent day temperatures shooting up beyond a point during the next 4-5 days except over isolated pockets over Saurashtra and Kutch where heat wave conditions may persist today and tomorrow (Sunday and Monday).

Setting the tone is an incoming fresh active (stronger than usual) western disturbance which may affect the hills of North-West India (Jammu & Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh, Ladakh and Uttarakhand) and adjoining plains from later this week (Wednesday to Saturday) and impact the prevailing weather.

India Meteorological Department (IMD) said that it would cause scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds during the next four days over the hills, while it would be light isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds over the adjoining plains.

Widespread rain for Kerala

Isolated hailstorm is likely over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday while it would be isolated heavy rainfall over Jammu & Kashmir on both Wednesday and Thursday. Thunderstorms/dust storms may erupt over the desert state of Rajasthan, especially over its western parts, on both these days.

To the South, scattered to fairly widespread rain has been forecast over the South-West Peninsula (Kerala and adjoining Karnataka) accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (with speeds of 30-40 km/hr) for next five days, the IMD outlook said on Sunday.

A helpful trough of low pressure runs from North Kerala to a cyclonic circulation perched over South-West Madhya Pradesh across Interior Karnataka and Marathawada. Elsewhere, a cyclonic circulation each persists over the Comorin area and over the South-West Bay of Bengal and adjoining South Sri Lanka.

Hailstorms likely for East India

Isolated rainfall with thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds (30-40 kmph) are likely over Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha, Telangana, Chhattisgarh, plains of West Bengal and Odisha during the next 4-5 days. A similar weather is predicted over Jharkhand during the next two days. Isolated hailstorms may be unleashed over East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh until tomorrow (Monday).

In its forecast for today (Sunday), the IMD sees thunderstorms with lightning, hail and gusty winds rolling out over East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh as part of the ongoing Nor’wester season (Kalbaishakhi) marked by violent weather over parts of East and North-East India.

Thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely over Jharkhand, plains of West Bengal, Odisha, Arunachal Pradesh, Assam, Meghalaya, Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram and Tripura. To the South-West, thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds are likely over Madhya Maharashtra, Marathawada, Telangana, Kerala and Mahe on Sunday.

Extended weather outlook

Isolated heavy rainfall is forecast over the southern parts and the ghat areas of Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Coastal and South Interior Karnataka on Wednesday and Thursday, the IMD said.

An extended outlook for Friday to Sunday said that scattered to fairly widespread rain/snow with thunderstorms/lightning is likely over the hills of North-West India and isolated to scattered rainfall with thunderstorms/lightning over the adjoining plains.

Fairly widespread to widespread rainfall with thunderstorms/lightning is likely over parts of North-East India. Scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with thunderstorms/lightning is likely over parts of Kerala, Tamil Nadu and adjoining Karnataka.