By IANS,
New Delhi : Out came the woollens and smiles too were writ large on the faces of those who love winter in northern India. For, many parts of the region woke up to rainfall Thursday and to the promise of a further dip in temperatures in the coming days.
Thanks to a light smattering of rain – 3.4 mm to be precise, a distinct chill set in and pulled the minimum temperature down to 16 degrees Celsius in the national capital, prompting many to put on their caps and jackets early morning.
“I love the Delhi winter and certainly hope this is the onset of the cold season. The winds seemed chilly enough this morning,” said P. Guha, a resident.
In good news for people like him, the meteorological department has forecast more rain and cool winds sweeping northern India.
“A low pressure area has developed over northern India. Delhi and neighbouring states can expect more rainfall; the temperature is likely to further decline in the coming days,” a meteorological department official said.
“There is a possibility of rain and thundershowers towards evening or night and the sky will be partially clouded. Cool winds are likely to sweep the plains and hilly regions in the northern states,” the official said.
Chandigarh and the neighbouring states of Punjab and Haryana experienced a dip in both day and night temperatures because of the unexpected rainfall Wednesday night and the weatherman said the spells of rain are likely to continue for at least a day or two.
“Normally, we do not have any rainfall in the month of November in this region but it rained last night along with heavy thunderstorms in Chandigarh, and in most of the regions in Punjab and Haryana. We are expecting the temperature to dip further, marking the advent of winter,” Chatar Singh Malik, director of the meteorological department, Chandigarh told IANS.
In Uttar Pradesh, thick clouds brought rainfall in state capital Lucknow and some other parts Thursday morning.
According to officials, such a weather condition would prevail in most parts of Uttar Pradesh for some more time.
Himachal Pradesh’s popular tourist destination Kufri received the season’s first snowfall, the meteorological office said. Just a half-hour drive from Shimla and located 2,510 metres above sea level, it is known as a honeymooner’s paradise.
“Kufri and its nearby areas this morning received 4-8 cm snowfall. This was the first snowfall in Shimla district,” Manmohan Singh, director of the meteorological office in Shimla, told IANS.
Lower areas of the state, including Dharamsala, Solan, Nahan and Mandi, received moderate to heavy rains, bringing a considerable fall in temperature.
Singh said the fall in temperature was due to western disturbances.
In Jammu and Kashmir, however, the cloud cover was broken Thursday after rain and snow in the higher regions in the last two days.
T.K. Jotshi, assistant director of weather office in Srinagar, told IANS: “We had predicted some precipitation for some days ending today and the valley received some rain and snow in the last two days in the higher regions.
“The cloud cover was broken Thursday morning, providing sunshine and relief to locals. During the next 24 hours we are expecting the weather to stay like this, with periods of sunshine and clouds.”