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• Dry spell casts gloom

• Churu in Rajasthan coldest at 5°C

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Read under headings Max (maximum temperature), Min (minimum temperature), R (rainfall in past 24 hours) and TR (Total rain since October 1):

Dry spell casts gloom
Prabhjot Singh
Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 13
Inadequate South West monsoon has farmers worrying in several parts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh and Jammu and Kashmir.

A Tribune study of the weather pattern during the past six months reveals that a major portion of the Malwa belt in Punjab, Mahendragarh district in Haryana, Chamba, Lahaul and Spiti and Solan in Himachal Pradesh, and Badgam and Ladakh in Jammu and Kashmir have been witnessing an unprecedented dry weather. These areas had little or no monsoon rains. Following the start of winter only temperatures have changed.

A study of the rainfall pattern from October 1 to first week of December reveals that Punjab, Himachal and parts of Uttar Pradesh had inadequate rain. For example, against a normal rainfall of 28 mm in Punjab during this period, it was only 6 mm while in Himachal, it has been only 18 mm against the normal average of 59 mm. In parts of Uttar Pradesh, it has been 10 mm against the normal average of 71 mm.

At the end of first fortnight of December, the situation looked grim with little or no snowfall at higher reaches of the Shivaliks and Himalayas. The water reservoirs have not been filled up as there was insufficient snowfall last winter and poor south west monsoon this year in the catchment areas. For canal irrigated Punjab and Haryana areas this is a bad news. According to farm experts, rain is must for wheat at this stage. The first week of December went dry in the 80 per cent area of the country. There were light to moderate showers in some parts of the North.

Meteorologists hope the dry spell would end soon. Strong surface winds, fog and gradual fall in day and night temperatures, they say, signify a build up of cyclonic pressures that bring rain in the winter.

Few light showers in some parts of the northern region. A thick fog has enveloped many parts of Punjab, Haryana, Himachal Pradesh, New Delhi and Chandigarh. Airlines have rescheduled their flights. Traffic on the state and national highways has slowed down.

British Airways has become the first international airline to change its flight schedule in anticipation of disruption in services due to fog conditions over Delhi during the winter.

The Delhi-London flight of the airline, according to the revised schedule effective from December 16, would now depart at 1 p.m. Similarly, the London-Delhi flight would take off from Heathrow at 9.05 p.m. to reach New Delhi at 11 next morning. The revised schedule would remain effective from December 15 to January 31.

Churu in Rajasthan coldest at 5°C
Tribune News Service

New Delhi, December 13
Rainfall: Weather was mainly dry over the region.

Temperatures: Past 24 hours change: Minimum temperatures fell in Jammu and Kashmir and Rajasthan and changed little elsewhere. Departures: They were appreciably above normal in Haryana, above normal in Jammu and Kashmir, Punjab, east Rajasthan and Uttar Pradesh and normal in the rest of the region.

The lowest temperature in the plains was 5.0°C recorded at Churu (Rajasthan).

Forecast valid until the morning of December 15th: Rain or snow is likely at isolated places in Jammu and Kashmir. Weather will be mainly dry in the rest of the region.

Forecast for Delhi and neighbourhood valid until the morning of December 15th: Sunny day. Mainly clear sky. Fog in the morning. Fall in minimum temperature and will be around 9°C.

Farmers weather bulletin for Delhi forecast valid until the morning of December 15th: Sky will be mainly clear.

Outlook for the subsequent two days: No large change.