New Delhi, March 14 The IMD on Saturday predicted that while a large part of the country may receive light to moderate rainfall in the next 24 hours, ending 1 p.m. on Sunday, the week ahead will be dry for the country barring the Western Himalayan region.
According to the IMD, there will be a drastic reduction in the thunderstorm over Bihar and Jharkhand.
"The 'Western Disturbance' as a cyclonic circulation now lies over Punjab and neighbourhood extending up to the upper-tropospheric levels. The induced cyclonic circulation now lies over northeast Rajasthan and neighbourhood in the lower levels.
"Though the moisture feed from the Arabian Sea has been cut off with the eastward movement of the system, low-level southeasterly winds from the Bay of Bengal are feeding moisture towards eastern India, where the upper-level features are also conducive for development of thunderstorms and hailstorms."
The IMD saidAthis feature is very likely to shift further eastwards by Sunday leading to a drastic reduction in the thunderstorm activity over Bihar, Jharkhand, north Chhattisgarh and West Bengal and increase over the northeastern states.
"Light to moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall/snowfall is very likely over Jammu, Kashmir, Ladakh and Gilgit and Baltistan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttarakhand with hailstorm over Uttarakhand and thunderstorm over Himachal Pradesh during the next 24 hours."
It said light to moderate fairly widespread rainfall very likely over Punjab and East Uttar Pradesh and scattered rainfall over Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi and West Uttar Pradesh during the next 24 hours and decrease thereafter.
"Hailstorm with gusty winds is also likely over the same region," the IMD added.
Apart from this, till Sunday afternoon, moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall with isolated thunderstorm and hailstorm, lightning and gusty wind winds will be witnessed over north Chhattisgarh, Bihar, Jharkhand, West Bengal and Sikkim.
"Isolated heavy falls are also likely over Jharkhand and Bihar," the iMD said.
The IMD added that there will be no significant change in minimum and maximum temperatures over the country during the next 2-3 days.
"However, isolated to scattered rainfall/snowfall is likely over Western Himalayan region," it said.
( With inputs from IANS )