The India Meteorological Department (IMD) predicted western disturbances will continue to impact the hills and plains of North-West India right until the end of the month. The continued passage of these disturbances will result in precipitation over hills of North-West India and adjoining plains on almost all days into the last week of the month (February 22-28).
Western disturbance activity has been known to peak in late winter (February). Studies have shown that the western disturbances are more likely to occur during the winter than other months.
February witnessed third western disturbance this year till date. One is expected on Sunday.
These rains will be harmful for the Rabi crop. Hailstorm activity may bring quite loss for the farmers.
“Intense’ disturbance is expected to check into the Western Himalayan region from Sunday and extend associated severe weather over the plains during Tuesday next to Thursday.
The hills of Western Himalayas might experience widespread rain/snow with isolated heavy to very heavy falls during this period. Adjoining plains, Central and East India would also receive rains due to the passage of this system’, it said.
According to Skymet, after giving widespread rain and thundershower activities over the eastern regions of India like East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Jharkhand, the focus has now shifted over to West Bengal and Odisha.
Duo untimely rainfall and hailstorm in the past two weeks this month Moderate and heavy rainfall together with hailstorm experienced in some regions of North India this month left wheat and other crops partly damaged even as the rabi planting data released by the Agriculture Ministry indicated a shortfall of four per cent in area as compared to the corresponding week last year. As against 643.6 lakh hectares (lh) planted in the same week previous year, the area covered during the current rabi season stood at 617.8 lh,.
According to Punjab Government, the State experienced widespread moderate to heavy rainfall along with storm and some districts such as Fatehgarh Sahib, Hoshiyarpur, Kapurthala, Ludhiana, Patiala, Ropar and Ferozpur reported light hailstorm that damaged some area of wheat, sarson, vegetables and rabi fodder in these districts.
Nearly 10 per cent drop in gram cultivation, reported mainly from Maharashtra, which is hit by a major drought, has affected the overall pulses cultivation, which came to 156.3 lh, nearly six per cent lower than 166 lh in the corresponding week last year.
Winter rice, on the other hand, was down by 14 per cent mainly because of the subdued planting in the States of Andhra Pradesh, Tamil Nadu and Telangana.
The area covered under winter rice till this week was less than 34 lh as compared to 39.64 lh in the same week last year.
Currently, El Nino neutral conditions are prevailing over equatorial Pacific Ocean and the latest Monsoon Mission Climate Forecast System (MMCFS) output indicates that weak El Niño conditions are likely to develop in the coming months and continue for a short period.
