IMD forecast: Monsoon done, weatherman gets down to daily business

IMD forecast: Just days after predicting a near-normal monsoon over India during the upcoming season, the weatherman got down to providing a nearer outlook. The Met department today said that an approaching western disturbance is expected to bring rainfall to northern Indian states such as Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand, with thunderstorms likely in some isolated areas over the next two days.

"The maximum temperatures are very likely to be near/below normal over most parts of the country except parts of east India. Hence, no major heat wave spell is expected over any part of country during the next one week," the Indian Meteorological Department said.

"Under the influence of an approaching western disturbance, fairly widespread to widespread precipitation with isolated thunder squalls and hailstorms are very likely over the Western Himalayan region (Jammu and Kashmir, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand) during next two days," it said.

Isolated thunderstorms accompanied with squalls and gusty winds are also likely in Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, north Rajasthan and northwest Uttar Pradesh during the next two days, the IMD said.

Western disturbance is a low pressure area or a trough over surface or the upper-air in the westerly winds regime and it is accompanied by clouds, with or without precipitation.

It originates in the Caspian Sea or the Mediterranean Sea as extra-tropical cyclones. They gradually travel across the Middle East and then from Iran, Afghanistan and Pakistan, enter the Indian sub-continent.

After this phenomena, weather would be dry thereafter over most parts of the northwest, the Met department said.

Under the influence of the western disturbance, relative humidity would rise over most parts of northwest and central India.