Rain, gusty winds lash parts of Punjab and Himachal; IMD issues orange alert for hill districts

New Delhi [India], April 17 (ANI): Rain and thunderstorm lashed parts of Punjab's Amritsar and Shimla in Himachal Pradesh on Wednesday night, with the India Meteorological Department (IMD) forecasting continued unsettled weather across both cities and multiple districts in Himachal Pradesh.
Gusty winds were witnessed in Punjab's Mohali.
A partly cloudy sky with intermittent rain or thundershowers is expected in Amritsar, while Shimla is likely to see cloudy conditions as well, the IMD said.
In Himachal Pradesh, the IMD issued a warning for regions between Dalhousie and Tikri Khas in Chamba district, predicting moderate to intense rainfall accompanied by thunderstorm activity, lightning, gusty winds reaching 45-55 kmph, and possible hailstorms. This system is expected to move towards Kangra district within the hour and then gradually weaken.
Thunderstorms with lightning and moderate rainfall are likely to continue over parts of Una, Hamirpur, Mandi, and Kangra districts over the next hour. Similar weather conditions are also expected to begin affecting Bilaspur and Kullu districts shortly.
Earlier, the IMD had predicted rainfall in various parts of Himachal Pradesh between April 18 and April 21 due to an incoming strong Western Disturbance. According to the IMD, a strong western disturbance is expected to impact the state, resulting in light to moderate rainfall in most regions and heavy rainfall in higher altitudes.
Speaking to ANI, Shobhit Katiyar, Senior Scientist at the IMD's Himachal Pradesh Centre in Shimla, said that the weather will change after two days with the approaching fresh Western disturbance on April 18.
"In the next 48 hours, the weather will remain mostly clear across the state. However, a very active western disturbance is expected to influence Himachal Pradesh from the afternoon of April 18 until the morning of April 21. Due to this system, we are likely to see intermittent rainfall across many parts of the state," said Katiyar.
He added that light rain may occur today in Chamba and Kangra districts, but the main spell of rainfall will begin from April 18.
"There is a possibility of heavy rainfall in the higher regions of Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, and Mandi districts on April 18 and 19. Some areas may receive rainfall between 6 to 12 cm. Because of this, we have issued an orange alert for these districts for April 18 and 19," Katiyar further explained. (ANI)