New Delhi: Unseasonal weather driven by successive western disturbances is set to sweep across large parts of India this week, prompting alerts for heavy rainfall, thunderstorms, hail and strong winds, while already causing casualties and crop damage in several states. The India Meteorological Department has warned that the current spell, which has brought
rain and hail to parts of the country, will intensify between April 7 and 9, affecting a wide swathe of north, northwest
and central India as well as parts of the northeast and southern peninsula.
The weather agency has issued alerts for heavy rainfall in isolated areas of Arunachal Pradesh and Tamil Nadu over the next 24 hours, with continued wet conditions expected across northeastern states for the next five days. According to the IMD, scattered to fairly widespread light to moderate rainfall accompanied by thunderstorms, lightning and gusty winds of 30 to 40 kmph is likely across the region, with stronger winds in some southern states reaching up to 50 kmph. Heavy rainfall is forecast at isolated locations in Arunachal Pradesh on April 5, 6, 8 and 9, and in Assam and Meghalaya on April 7, 9 and 11.
Southern states including Tamil Nadu, Kerala, coastal Andhra Pradesh, Telangana and Karnataka are also expected to witness thunderstorms and gusty winds over the next five days. Isolated heavy rainfall is likely over ghat areas of Tamil Nadu, coastal Andhra Pradesh and Kerala on April 5 and 6.
In north India, unstable weather conditions are expected to persist. Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand are likely to receive light to moderate rainfall or snowfall along with thunderstorms and gusty winds on April 5 and 6. Uttar Pradesh may see similar activity on April 5, followed by Punjab and Rajasthan on April 6, with wind speeds potentially gusting up to 60 kmph.
The IMD had earlier issued an orange warning for multiple states including Punjab, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Chhattisgarh, forecasting widespread thunderstorms, lightning, hailstorms and winds reaching 60 to 70 kmph over a 24-hour period.
The impact of the ongoing system has already been severe in some areas. In Madhya Pradesh’s Bhind district, intense storms accompanied by heavy rain and large hailstones killed at least six people and injured several others, including local councillor Pooja Kushwah. Fields and roads were covered with thick layers of hail, causing extensive damage in rural areas. The storms, triggered by a western disturbance, brought lemon and chickpea-sized hail along with strong winds and lightning across parts of the state.
The influence of the weather system is also being felt in the Delhi-NCR region, where isolated thunderstorms with rain and hail are likely, particularly in areas such as Gurgaon, South Delhi, Faridabad and Noida. Meteorologists estimate a 50 to 70 per cent probability of such activity, although a significant portion of the region may remain dry. The lingering effects of a recent disturbance have led to unusually cool conditions and heavy cloud cover for this time of year.
Meteorologists have cautioned that the current spell is only a precursor to a more intense system expected to arrive shortly. A stronger western disturbance is forecast to impact the plains between April 7 and 10, bringing heavier rain, widespread thunderstorms and large hail across Rajasthan, Delhi-NCR, Haryana, Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu, Punjab, western Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, northern Madhya Pradesh and parts of northeast India. This system could affect nearly 30 to 40 per cent of the country’s land area.
Agricultural regions are particularly vulnerable. Farmers in several northern states have been advised to harvest ready wheat crops before April 6 to minimise losses. Earlier this week, golf ball-sized hailstones flattened standing crops across Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana and Uttar Pradesh, raising concerns about further damage from the incoming system.
In Himachal Pradesh, the higher reaches have already witnessed fresh snowfall. Gondla in Lahaul and Spiti recorded 28.2 cm of snow, while Keylong received 20 cm. Rainfall was also recorded across multiple locations, including 23.5 mm in Sarahan and over 18 mm in Dharamshala and Sundernagar. Hailstorms and thunderstorms were reported in several districts, with gusty winds reaching up to 48 kmph. Authorities have issued an orange alert for April 7 and 8 in districts including Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla.
Rajasthan has also reported rain and thunderstorm activity in both eastern and western regions, with Bari in Dholpur district receiving 40 mm of rainfall. The Jaipur Meteorological Centre has warned of fresh spells of storms, rain and hail between April 6 and 8, with peak intensity expected on April 7. Wind speeds could reach 50 to 60 kmph, accompanied by moderate to heavy rainfall and isolated hailstorms across several divisions. Weather officials have advised farmers to take precautions such as covering harvested crops and safeguarding stored grains to reduce potential losses. Conditions are expected to stabilise after April 8 to 10, with forecasts indicating a return to dry and significantly hotter weather across much of the country in the latter half of April.