Western disturbance likely to hit region

Amid above-normal night temperature and heavy smog, the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Monday predicted that a fresh western disturbance was likely to affect the western Himalayan region from November 14 onwards.

Western disturbances typically bring in varying intensity of rain and snow and are the prime cause of precipitation over northern parts of India during winters, most of which have remained dry in the month of November so far.

Post-monsoon seasonal rainfall over northwest India has been severely deficient. From October 1 to November 11, the shortfall has been 75 per cent in Punjab, 95 per cent in Haryana and 98 per cent in Himachal Pradesh, data compiled by the IMD reveals.

Dense to very dense fog is expected in pockets of west Punjab during morning and evening hours till November 15, the IMD said, though no large change in minimum temperature had been forecast for the next 4-5 days.

During the past 24 hours, the minimum temperature recorded in Punjab ranged between 15.3°C (at Thein Dam, near Pathankot) and 20.4°C (at Faridkot). It was appreciably above normal at some places by up to 6.8°C.

The maximum temperature during the period ranged between 26.9°C at Pathankot to 33.5°C at Abohar, which was a notch above normal.