NEW DELHI, Mar 31: Under the influence of a new western disturbance, a spell of thunderstorm and rain activity was witnessed in parts of northern India on Tuesday, even as mild snow continued in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh.
In Haryana, Hisar received a rainfall of 7.8 mm, while Rohtak, Charkhi Dadri, Gurugram, Mahendragarh, Palwal and Sonipat witnessed 1 mm, 3 mm, 1 mm, 8 mm, 1.5 mm and 0.5 mm of rainfall, according to the India Meteorological Department (IMD).
There were reports of hailstorms as well, lashing areas in Charkhi Dadri, Rewari and Hisar in Haryana and Ferozepur in Punjab.
The maximum temperatures in the state hovered around 33 degrees Celsius, except in Mahendragarh, where it was 28 degrees, as per the report.
In neighbouring Punjab, Ferozepur and Fazilka received 7.5 mm and 2 mm of rainfall.
Maximum temperatures in Amritsar, Ludhiana and Patiala stood at 30.4, 33.6 and 34.8 degrees Celsius, respectively, while in Fazilka and Ferozepur, they settled at 33.1 and 33.2 degrees.
Jammu and Kashmir’s Baramulla district was hit hard as heavy rainfall caused a sudden rise in water levels in a stream, leading to flooding in a local school hostel. The Army rescued 34 persons, including 30 students and four teachers, who were trapped in the building.
A snow avalanche was reported in the Tulail area of the Gurez sector in Bandipora district. However, officials said it caused no damage as it remained confined to the mountainous region.
The valley received moderate rainfall in the plains and snowfall in some higher reaches over the past 48 hours.
Baramulla received over 70 mm of rainfall in the past 24 hours, the highest in the valley. Nowgam in the Handwara area received 58.2 mm during the corresponding period, followed by Qazigund (48.6 mm) and Kulgam (42.2 mm). Srinagar city also received a fair amount of rain, recording 31.6 mm of precipitation in the past 24 hours.
The weather in Kashmir is expected to remain cloudy on Wednesday before another wet spell over the weekend.
In the national capital, cloudy skies and spells of rain greeted Delhi residents as the national capital was put under a yellow alert, even as temperatures stayed above normal with the maximum touching 33.7 degrees Celsius.
Rainfall recorded between 2:30 pm and 5:30 pm stood at 2.1 mm at Safdarjung, 2.6 mm at Palam, 2.8 mm at Lodi Road, 2.4 mm at Ridge and 2.2 mm at Ayanagar. Among other stations, Janakpuri recorded the highest rainfall at 4 mm, while Pusa and Mayur Vihar received 2 mm each, and Pitampura recorded 1.5 mm.
Maximum temperatures across stations remained in a similar range above normal, with Safdarjung recording 33.7 degrees Celsius, Palam 33.2 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road 33.2 degrees Celsius, Ridge 33.9 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar 33.8 degrees Celsius.
Minimum temperatures showed slight variation, with Safdarjung at 19.4 degrees Celsius, Palam at 19.6 degrees Celsius, Lodi Road at 18.0 degrees Celsius, Ridge at 18.4 degrees Celsius and Ayanagar at 18.6 degrees Celsius.
The weather office has forecast a minimum temperature of 18 degrees Celsius and a maximum of 34 degrees Celsius for Wednesday, with partly cloudy skies.
Meanwhile, Mild snow continued in the higher reaches of Himachal Pradesh. Gondla received 4 cm of snow while Keylong recorded 2 cm of snow till Tuesday morning.
The Shimla Met office issued a yellow warning of thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds, with wind speeds of 40-50 kmph, in isolated areas across ten of the 12 districts, barring tribal Kinnaur and Lahaul and Spiti, for Friday and Saturday.
It also predicted a wet spell in the state till April 6 as a fresh western disturbance is likely to affect northwest India from April 2.
Intermittent rains lashed a few areas in the middle and lower hills.
Kumarsein in Shimla district was the wettest with 39 mm of rain, followed by Sarahan (38.7), Dharamshala (27.1), Kangra (18.2), Nichar (15), Manali (11), Jot (10.8), and Keylong and Gohar (10 each).
Shimla, Kangra, Sundernagar, Jot, Palampur and Bhuntar were lashed by thunderstorms and lightning, while a hailstorm hit Kangra and Shilaroo. Gusty winds ranging between 46 and 61 kmph were recorded in Tabo and Seobagh, the IMD said.
There was no significant change in the minimum and maximum temperatures.
Keylong in tribal Lahaul and Spiti was the coldest at night with a low of 0.1 degrees Celsius, while Neri in Hamirpur was the hottest during the day, recording a high of 30.6 degrees Celsius.
During the pre-monsoon season from March 1 to 31, Himachal Pradesh received 99.6 mm of rain, compared to the normal rainfall of 113.4 mm, resulting in a 12 per cent deficit. (PTI)
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