Expect rain on Friday: Western disturbance on India’s doorstep, downpour ahead

Over the next 24 to 36 hours, there will be extensive cloud cover, thunderstorms, and sporadic rainfall due to a new western disturbance that has arrived in North India.

Although the system is presently over Afghanistan and north Pakistan, it has already started to affect weather patterns in India. Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Jammu & Kashmir, and plains like Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan are all seeing an increase in cloud cover.An extratropical storm that originates in the Mediterranean region is known as a Western Disturbance. It moves eastward, delivering snow and winter rain to North India. Although these systems are essential for renewing water supplies, they can also cause hail, storms, and abrupt temperature fluctuations throughout the area.

By Thursday afternoon, the cloud bands had expanded further eastward, reaching Delhi and moving toward western Uttar Pradesh. Meteorologists say the system will continue to move east, pushing clouds into eastern Uttar Pradesh, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Jharkhand, and parts of eastern India.

“Rainfall activity is expected to intensify from Friday, with scattered to isolated showers likely across Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Rajasthan. Several districts in northern and eastern Madhya Pradesh, as well as most parts of Uttar Pradesh, are also expected to remain under cloudy skies with chances of rain through Friday night,” Devendra Tripathi, founder of Mausam Tak told

Similar circumstances are probably going to occur in eastern states like Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Odisha, and Chhattisgarh.

These areas will have erratic rainfall, from solitary showers to sporadic thunderstorms, along with lightning, strong winds, and sporadic storm activity typical with pre-monsoon conditions.The impact is anticipated to be more severe in the Himalayan region. Rainfall, snowfall at higher elevations, and even hailstorms in certain places are possible in areas between Uttarakhand and Kashmir. This system is anticipated to cause rainfall in Arunachal Pradesh as well. 

Telangana, Karnataka, and Andhra Pradesh may see light to moderate rain further south. There may also be brief periods of rain in several parts of Maharashtra, including Vidarbha, Marathwada, and southern Madhya Maharashtra.