JAIPUR: The return of winter in the last week of February extended its impact into the first day of March. On Saturday morning a hailstorm in several areas of Khetri and Tijara districts of Jhunjhunu blanketed fields with a layer of white.
Cold winds and fog were also observed in parts of Dausa, Karauli, Alwar, and Bharatpur.
A day earlier, rain and hailstorms in Shekhawati led to a drop of 2-3 degree celsius in temperature.
Hailstorms and rain have caused significant crop damage in areas like Sriganganagar, Churu, Kotputli-Behror, Bikaner, and Alwar.
The Meteorological Centre in Jaipur has predicted further rainfall in several districts of Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions on Saturday.
In the past 24 hours, several cities in Rajasthan witnessed rain and cloud cover.
Stormy rain and hailstorms hit Bikaner, Churu, Ganganagar, and Hanumangarh, causing damage to Rabi crops. The rainfall and strong winds also led to a drop in daytime temperatures.
As per the Meteorological Department’s report, Hanumangarh received 2.5 mm of rainfall, Ganganagar 0.3 mm, and Bikaner 3.2 mm, while several areas of Churu and Jaisalmer also recorded rainfall.
Cloudy skies prevailed throughout the day in multiple districts, including Jaipur, Ajmer, Jodhpur, Nagaur, and Sikar.
The Meteorological Centre, Jaipur, has forecast cloudy skies in eastern Rajasthan with light rain at isolated places today.
The impact of the Western Disturbance will be visible in Jaipur and Bharatpur divisions. However, from March 2 onwards, the weather is expected to clear up, with bright sunshine and clear skies prevailing for the next 4-5 days.
Despite the lingering winter chill, Rajasthan is expected to experience intense heat starting in March.
The Meteorological Department has issued a heatwave warning for the coming months, with temperatures likely to be above average from March to May.
According to the three-month forecast by the Meteorological Centre in New Delhi, temperatures—both minimum and maximum—are expected to be higher than usual across 16 states, including Rajasthan, Punjab, Haryana, Delhi, and Uttar Pradesh. April and May will likely see an increase in both temperature and the number of heatwave days.
The Meteorological Center has predicted significantly lower-than-average rainfall in Rajasthan for March due to Western Disturbances.
A similar forecast has been issued for Uttar Pradesh, Delhi, Haryana, Punjab, the northern hilly states, and the northeastern states, including Assam, Arunachal Pradesh, Manipur, Meghalaya, Tripura, and Mizoram.