Heavy snowfall and Rainfall reported from North India

VERY DENSE CLOUDING IN NORTH INDIA MAKING PARTS OF INDIA INVISIBLE DUE TO CLOUDS

METD WEATHER

Akshay Deoras

Severe Weather Forecaster

It was an entire day of Severe weather across North India with multiple reports of snowfall/rainfall and thunderstorm.

In Amritsar, weather conditions were Mostly cloudy till 0400AM today but from 0530hrs, Thunderstorm with rainfall started in most of Punjab resting 16-19C in Amritsar.

Rains continued till around 0830hrs in Amritsar with winds max at 20.4km/hr in the morning

Light rains were reported in Srinagar yesterday early morning (around 0200hrs) and lasted for short time only. However from evening 0530PM, Rains again revived in Srinagar and continued till 0530PM today. At around 0230PM when temperature reached to 1C and dewpoint below 0C in negative.. Snow was reported in Srinagar

Gusty winds also reported in Srinagar and caused havoc by uprooting trees,damaging orchird plants, uprooting power lines causing electricity cut in many areas.

Wind speed of 18.5km/hr at 0230hrs

22.2km/hr at 0530hrs AT THE SRINAGAR AIRPORT.

Despite THE WARNINGS ISSUED! one BSF porter died with three security personals injured at Gurez. Traffic across Srinagar-Jammu highway was also closed down due to avalanche ( multiple in number)

Due to the subfreezing layer of atmosphere over kashmir due to month February,

Rain and Snow were reported at many Places.

The highest of 102.2mm rain was reported in Quazigund

Kupwara-64.6mm

Kokernag-34.7mm

Srinagar- 10.7mm

Gusty winds upto 30km/hr were reported in Jammu also.

In Himachal Pradesh,

Thunderstorm caused havoc in Shimla as rooftops of houses, hoardings,boards etc . blew off!

The minimum temperature plummeted to 5.0 degree C and 4.3 degree C in Dharamsala while it dropped by a few notches to stay at 7.2 degree C, 7.9 degree C, 8.5 degree and 9.5 degree C at Bhuntar, Una, Solan and Palampur.

The minimum temperatures were one to six degrees above normal compared to four to 12 degree above normal yesterday.

Kyelong reported snow of - 27cm

Kalpa-16.1cm

Rohtang pass and Kunzum pass- 30cm

Rainfall was reported in Manali of 36mm

Saloni- 33mm

Seobagh and Tissa 17 mm each Nadaun, Ghamroor and Bangana 7 mm each, Jungi 6 mm and Jubbal Rohuru, Mehre and Banjar 4 mm.

Shimla- 0.5mm rains.

The most astonishing fact is that no hailstorms were reported in any area despite the strong thunderstorm with excellent thermodynamic conditions for hails

According to me, the layers of atmosphere close to the surface of earth were not at freezing range due to which some regions received rains. The 0C line must have been above 500mb which is unfavorable for hails as a hail shall melt rapidly due to warmer environmental temperature than as the parcel air temp in this aspect doesn't pay any role.

Cape was upto 2500J/Kg for sure.

Our forecasting definitely shall improve with a better graphic the next time when such action happens as for India lack of clear and more descriptive weather models is there as compared to other places in the world .