Rare western disturbance brings cool daytime temperatures to north India
North India just got an unexpected blast of cool weather, thanks to a rare western disturbance.
Daytime temperatures fell sharply in places — about 15-19 Celsius in Delhi, Punjab, Haryana, and western Uttar Pradesh; some forecasts and social-media posts suggested maximums around 18-24 Celsius for parts of Delhi-NCR, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh, way cooler than the usual late March heat.
The system also brought moderate-to-heavy rain and thunderstorms on March 19-20, with activity shifting eastward into March 21; further unsettled weather and new disturbances were expected around March 22 onward, after temperatures had soared near 37 Celsius earlier this month.
Farmers, city life, and health at risk
This sudden weather twist is tough on farmers: wheat crops are at a delicate stage and could be hurt by hail or heat stress.
City life's been disrupted too, with gusty winds raising concerns about stress to overhead power lines and the risk of outages, and with rain and gusty winds making roads wet and reducing visibility, causing commuter delays in some areas.
Plus, the chilly snap raises health risks for those more vulnerable.
More disturbances expected in coming days
The IMD says more unsettled weather is on the way with two more disturbances expected soon (March 23 and 27), likely bringing more rain and storms, keeping things cooler than usual through the end of March.