Under the influence of cyclonic storm Arnab, heavy rainfall is expected to lash several states of the country today as well. Heavy rainfall warnings have been issued for Bengal, Bihar, Jharkhand, and Chhattisgarh today. Along with this, warnings for rain accompanied by snowfall have been issued for the hilly states of Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand. Due to this sudden spell of rain and snowfall, winter has made an early arrival across northern India, while in states like Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, and Delhi, the chill has noticeably increased during the early mornings and evenings. Because of the cooler night temperatures, most people have now completely stopped operating their air conditioners and fans, while according to the Meteorological Department, a new western disturbance has formed over the surrounding areas of the Bay of Bengal and the Andaman Sea. It's very likely to move west-northwestwards towards the Andhra Pradesh coast, and its impact will trigger rainfall across multiple states in northern India.
Alert for heavy rain and hailstorms in several states
Due to the impact of the western disturbance, isolated areas over eastern Uttar Pradesh, western Uttar Pradesh, and Uttarakhand are very likely to witness extremely heavy rainfall on October 30. In addition to this, rainfall is expected in Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir-Ladakh, and Punjab. Isolated pockets in eastern Uttar Pradesh, eastern Rajasthan, and Haryana are also likely to experience hailstorms. According to the Meteorological Department, heavy rainfall is also anticipated in Madhya Pradesh from October 30 to November 4. Districts such as Sidhi, Singrauli, Rewa, Mauganj, Satna, Maihar, Shahdol, Umaria, and Anuppur are likely to receive heavy rainfall. Also, strong surface winds reaching speeds of 40 to 50 kilometers per hour are expected to sweep through these regions.
Rainfall expected in these additional states
According to the latest forecasts by the Meteorological Department, thunderstorm activity accompanied by rain is very likely over Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Karaikal, Rayalaseema, Kerala, Mahe, South Interior Karnataka, Lakshadweep, Andhra Pradesh, and Telangana, while wind speeds in these areas are expected to range between 30 and 40 kilometers per hour, while reaching up to 50 kilometers per hour at a few isolated locations. Due to the cyclonic storm, parts of West Bengal are likely to witness heavy rainfall on Friday, while according to the India Meteorological Department, as the system moves in a west-northwestward direction, it's likely to intensify further over the southwest Bay of Bengal. Due to the impact of Cyclone Arnab, the weather office has predicted heavy rainfall until Friday over South 24 Parganas, East and West Medinipur, Jhargram, Bankura, and Purulia districts of South Bengal. The IMD has also stated that heavy rainfall will lash sub-Himalayan districts such as Darjeeling, Kalimpong, Jalpaiguri, and Alipurduar by Saturday morning.
Orange alert for heavy rain and hail warning in Uttar Pradesh
The India Meteorological Department has forecast heavy to very heavy rainfall in several districts of eastern Uttar Pradesh along with hailstorms in the western parts of the state over the next two days, driven by the combined effects of Cyclone Arnab and an active western disturbance. The regional meteorological center in Lucknow has issued an orange alert, warning of thunderstorms, lightning strikes, and gusty winds reaching 30 to 40 kilometers per hour across various parts of the state. Wind speeds may even touch 50 kilometers per hour in isolated areas. Sonbhadra, Mirzapur, Chandauli, Varanasi, and Ghazipur are among the key districts expected to receive heavy to very heavy rainfall. Heavy downpours are also likely in Prayagraj, Jaunpur, Azamgarh, Mau, Ballia, and Deoria, while on Friday, heavy to very heavy rainfall is anticipated in Kushinagar, Maharajganj, Siddharthnagar, Balrampur, Shravasti, Bahraich, Gorakhpur, Sant Kabir Nagar, Basti, Gonda, Lakhimpur Kheri, Sitapur, Barabanki, Ayodhya, and Ambedkar Nagar. The weather department has also issued warnings for strong winds and thunderstorms in Lucknow, Unnao, Rae Bareli, Sultanpur, and Amethi. Parts of western Uttar Pradesh may witness hailstorms on Friday. The department has estimated a sharp drop of 5 to 8 degrees Celsius in maximum temperatures across the entire state on October 29 and 30.
Orange alert for heavy rain and snowfall in Uttarakhand
The hill state of Uttarakhand has experienced continuous rainfall accompanied by snowfall over the past 24 hours. Consequently, the entire state has been gripped by a severe cold wave. The Meteorological Department has issued an orange alert for Friday, warning of heavy rainfall in five districts of the state, including Nainital. Snowfall has been recorded at several high-altitude locations such as Kedarnath, Gangotri, and Auli, while reports of fresh snow have emerged from higher reaches surrounding Badrinath, including the Neelkanth peak and the Nar-Narayan mountains. Snowfall is also likely around the sacred Badrinath Dham. Meanwhile, continuous rain is underway in Yamunotri, where fresh snowfall is strongly anticipated, keeping the entire hilly terrain shivering.