The India Meteorological Department has issued a nationwide weather alert, forecasting a prolonged period of thunderstorms, hailstorms, and gusty winds across multiple regions through March 21. The latest meteorological bulletin, released early Wednesday morning, attributes the unstable atmospheric conditions to a fresh western disturbance impacting the subcontinent.
Severe weather has already begun to impact southern regions, with Bengaluru experiencing sudden heavy showers and hail that broke recent regional heat. Meteorologists caution that the advancing system will bring significant temperature drops and severe wind speeds reaching up to 70 kilometers per hour in eastern and central states later this week.
Regional Forecasts And Wind Advisories
Atmospheric instability is expected to trigger isolated heavy precipitation across Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, and Jammu & Kashmir. The plains, encompassing Delhi, Punjab, and Rajasthan, are forecast to receive scattered rain accompanied by wind speeds of 40 to 50 kmph on March 19 and 20.
Eastern and central regions of India are projected to face the most severe wind conditions. The IMD indicates that these areas will experience potential wind speeds up to 70 kmph, alongside isolated hailstorms, specifically around March 20 and 21.
Precipitation And Temperature Shifts
In the southern peninsula, nearby Dabaspet recently recorded 24.4 mm of rainfall during the initial wave of the weather system. Meanwhile, northeastern states are forecast to observe continuous light to moderate rain over the next five days.
The precipitation will drive distinct thermal shifts across the country. Maximum temperatures in Northwest India are expected to rise briefly before experiencing a sharp drop of 5 to 7 degrees Celsius. Concurrently, Central and Southern India will observe a gradual decrease in baseline temperatures as the continuous precipitation persists through the forecast window.