Why Delhi and NCR are experiencing unseasonal rains

Over the past few days, Delhi and the national capital region (NCR) have been experiencing heavy downpours accompanied by thunderstorms and strong winds. As per the latest forecast, there is no relief in sight for Delhiites, as the region is likely to receive even more rainfall over the next couple of days. But what is the reason behind unseasonal rains lashing the national capital?

• The substantial downpour has triggered a drop in temperature, with the maximum temperature in the national capital settling at 30.3 degrees Celsius on Sunday. Notably, this was three notches below the average for this time of the year.
• Due to the inclement weather, a number of flights were diverted to airports in Jaipur, Lucknow, Chandigarh, and Dehradun from the Delhi airport last week.

According to the India Meteorological Department (IMD), fresh western disturbances are the main reason behind the unseasonal rains in Delhi and NCR. In its recent weather bulletin, the IMD predicted thunderstorms with light to moderate intensity rain for a few places in the national capital, like Pashchim Vihar, Mundaka, Rajouri Garden, Jafarpur, Dwarka, Nazafgarh, Delhi airport, and Palam, and their adjoining areas.

Western disturbances can be described as weather systems that form in the Mediterranean and move toward the Indian subcontinent. These disturbances are triggered by the interaction between warm air and cold polar air in the Mediterranean region, forming a low-pressure system. Furthermore, these are a common meteorological phenomenon that alters the weather patterns of northern India, including Delhi, usually during the winter season.

"There is enough moisture available in northwest India due to the western disturbance, and the temperatures have also risen over the last few days," Kuldeep Srivastava, the head of the IMD's regional forecasting center in Delhi, was quoted as saying by the news outlet Economic Times on Wednesday. "So, the conditions are conducive for such activity," he further explained.

It is also worth noting that northern India has experienced higher-than-usual high temperatures during February and early March this year. While the recent downpours have provided a much-required relief to the citizens in the region, the rains might also act as a villain for crop ripening, exposing Indian farmers to losses and raising the possibility of high food inflation.

According to the IMD, the national capital received 12.2mm of rainfall in the 24-hour period ending at 8.30 am on Saturday last week. As per the weather department, this was Delhi's highest in a single day in March in the past three years. Delhi's main weather station, Safdarjung observatory, had also reported 12mm rainfall in this period.

The weather department has also forecasted that light to moderate rainfall with thunderstorms will hit Delhi and adjoining parts like Chandigarh, Punjab, Haryana, Rajasthan, and Uttar Pradesh until Wednesday (April 5). The western disturbance will also affect Jammu and Kashmir between Monday and Thursday, triggering light to moderate intermittent rainfall, PTI quoted the director of the IMD in J&K, Sonam Lotus, as saying.