Punjab remains dry in December, excess downpour in Himachal

Vijay Mohan

Tribune News Service

Chandigarh, December 29

Punjab has remained virtually dry in the month of December while rain received in Haryana is just about half of normal for this period. On the other hand, Himachal Pradesh has experienced surplus rain.

Data compiled by the India Meteorological Department (IMD) shows that rain has been deficient by 99 percent in Punjab. From December 1 to December 29, the state received 0.1 mm rain as compared to the normal of 11.3 mm.

Haryana has recorded a deficiency of 54 per cent for this period, with the actual rain received being 2.5 mm against the normal of 5.3 mm. The hill state of Himachal Pradesh received 69 mm rain against the normal of 39.6 mm, translating to a surplus of 74 per cent.

While rain has fared poorly during the year’s last month in Punjab and Haryana, precipitation has been above normal in all three states during the; last quarter of the year. IMD data shows that from October 1 to December 29, the total rainfall was surplus by 45 percent in both Haryana and Himachal Pradesh and by 39 percent in Punjab.

Warning of cold wave conditions in isolated pockets over northwest India during next 4-5 days, the IMD has predicted that an intense western disturbance is likely to affect the Western Himalayan Region during 4-7 January 2022, with possibility of isolated heavy falls on January 4-7 over north western India.

“A fresh active western disturbance and its induced cyclonic circulation is very likely to cause fairly widespread rainfall or snowfall during 04th to 07th with possibility of isolated heavy falls on 05th and 06th over Jammu and Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh,” a bulletin issued by IMD today said.

“Light or moderate scattered to fairly widespread rainfall over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh and Delhi, north Rajasthan and west Uttar Pradesh during 05th to 07th is also likely,” the bulletin added.

In addition, the weatherman has also forecast cold wave and  severe cold wave conditions in isolated/some parts of Punjab, Haryana and Chandigarh during December 30 to January 3 along with dense fog in isolated pockets during night and morning hours over the next two days.