March 20, 2025 11:31 AM.
The India Meteorological Department (IMD) has forecast light rainfall, and thunderstorms accompanied by squally winds over Gangetic West Bengal, Assam and Meghalaya today.
Similar conditions are expected over Chhattisgarh, Odisha, Jharkhand, Uttar Pradesh and Madhya Pradesh. According to IMD, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi will also experience lightning at isolated places.
The weather agency has forecast hot and humid conditions at isolated places over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal and Interior Karnataka.
The met department has also said that there will be a gradual rise in maximum temperature by about 2 degrees Celsius over Northwest India during the next two days.
As per the weather department, the wind is expected to blow at the speed of 40-60 kmph, which is likely to continue till March 22. This weather activity is being attributed to an anti-cyclonic circulation currently hovering over the Bay of Bengal.
In its detailed forecast, the IMD noted the presence of a trough extending from central Odisha to Vidarbha, coupled with a wind confluence zone over eastern and adjoining central India. These systems, active at lower tropospheric levels, are contributing to the unstable weather conditions across the region, it stated.
According to the weather department, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim are likely to witness isolated to scattered light to moderate rainfall, accompanied by thunderstorms and lightning on March 20 and 21. Meanwhile, Gangetic West Bengal, including Kolkata, can expect light to moderate showers from March 19 through March 22.
The meteorological department further stated that while no major change in maximum temperatures is anticipated across east India over the next 48 hours, minimum temperatures are expected to dip by 4 to 6 degrees Celsius over the next three days.
On Wednesday, Delhi recorded a maximum temperature of 32.8 degrees Celsius, 1.5 notches above normal, the weather office said. The minimum temperature settled at 14.2 degrees Celsius, 2.3 notches below the season’s average, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) said. On Thursday, the maximum and minimum temperatures are expected to settle around 34 and 16 degrees Celsius, respectively. Meanwhile, Delhi’s air quality remained in the ‘moderate’ category, with an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 160, as per the Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB).