Heavy rain, snowfall expected in North India's mountain regions due to western disturbance: IMD

New Delhi [India], January 31 (ANI): Heavy rain and snowfall are expected in the mountain regions of Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Uttarakhand in the coming days due to a western disturbance, said the India Meteorological Department (IMD) on Wednesday.
"We are expecting heavy rain and snowfall in the mountain regions (Himachal Pradesh, Jammu & Kashmir, and Uttarakhand) due to the western disturbance," Kuldeep Srivastava, Head of Regional Meteorological Centre, Delhi, told ANI.
He also said that the effect of the western disturbance will also be seen in the plain areas like Haryana, Delhi NCR, and Uttar Pradesh.
"We have issued an orange alert for today. Thunderstorms and lightning are expected in Punjab and Haryana today. Light rain is expected in Delhi, NCR, and thunderstorms and lightning are also expected today. A thick layer of fog is expected on February 2... A yellow alert has been issued in Delhi NCR," Srivastava said.
Meanwhile, the national capital as well as the entire North Indian belt continued to remain in the grip of severe cold and fog on Wednesday, with the minimum temperature in Delhi recorded at 10°C.
According to the IMD, very dense fog was reported in isolated pockets of Punjab, Haryana, and Delhi while moderate fog was observed in isolated pockets of West Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday.
"The INSAT 3DR Image of 0530 hrs IST shows Dense Fog layer over South Punjab, Haryana & Delhi seen as white patch overlapped by Medium/High Clouds in Red Patches," read a post on the IMD's official X handle on Wednesday.
The central weather forecasting agency informed further that Delhi, which has been experiencing freezing cold over the last few weeks, recorded its lowest maximum temperature and second-lowest minimum temperature in the last 13 years this January.
A thick layer of fog enveloped the national capital as the city woke up another bitterly cold morning on Wednesday.
The weather agency predicted a wet spell over the Western Himalayan Region and adjoining plains till February 4, with the intensity peaking on Wednesday and Thursday.
"Light/moderate fairly widespread to widespread rainfall/snowfall very likely over Jammu,
Kashmir, Ladakh, Gilgit, Baltistan & Muzaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and Uttarakhand
during next 6 days (30th January to 04th February) and decrease significantly thereafter," the IMD posted on X.
In Jammu and Kashmir's Ramban district on Wednesday, trees and houses were seen covered under a blanket of snow as it received fresh snowfall. (ANI)