Snow in hills, rain in plains as western disturbance sweeps north India

On Saturday, April 4, 2026, Himachal Pradesh and the higher reaches of Jammu and Kashmir witnessed fresh snowfall due to the rainy weather that gripped northern India, bringing rainfall to parts of Delhi, Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan.

As rains and hailstorms continued to lash the northern states intermittently this week, wheat growers in Punjab, Haryana and Rajasthan faced huge losses due to crop damage.

Meanwhile, the national capital witnessed rain in isolated areas during the night between Friday, April 3, 2026 and Saturday, April 4, 2026. However, due to cloudy weather that continued throughout the day, maximum temperatures dropped in the city.

Officials said that snowfall in Jammu and Kashmir led to the closure of many important inter-regional roads.

The Met Office has warned of brief but heavy showers in isolated areas; This may cause flash floods and landslides in a few sensitive areas and floods in low-lying areas.

Sadhna Hill and other high points in Kupwara, Mughal Road in Shopian, Margan Top connecting Anantnag to Kishtwar and Razdan Top, Gurez and Tulail in Bandipora district received fresh snowfall overnight.

Affarwat mountain in Gulmarg tourist resort, Sonamarg-Zojila axis and some other hilly areas of the valley also received snowfall.

They added that the plains in the valley, including the capital Srinagar, receive rain in summer.

The wet weather lowered the daytime temperature in the valley, forcing people to layer up to fight the fresh cold.

Similarly, both maximum and minimum temperatures decreased in Himachal Pradesh, while light to moderate rain and snowfall were observed in many areas.

Shimla Meteorological Office has issued an orange alert for hailstorm, thunderstorm, lightning and gusty winds of 40 to 50 km per hour in Chamba, Kangra, Kullu, Mandi and Shimla districts on Tuesday, April 7, 2026 and Wednesday, April 8, 2026.

Lahaul and the higher reaches of Spiti and Kullu witnessed fresh snowfall in the last 24 hours since Friday evening, April 3, 2026. The meteorological department has also predicted rain in the state till April 10.

The minimum temperature in the capital rose to 20.7°C, which was 1.9 degrees above normal and 1.5 degrees higher than the previous day. In contrast, the maximum temperature reached 32°C, two degrees below normal and one degree lower than the previous day.

Skymet vice president Mahesh Palawat said: “This is due to the presence of cloud cover, as a result of which less heat penetrates during the day and less heat escapes from the earth’s surface at night.” Additionally, the air quality in Delhi has improved significantly due to torrential showers and gusty winds the previous day. The 24-hour average air quality index (AQI) was reported at 137 (fair) at 4 pm on Saturday, April 4, 2026, compared to the AQI of 266 (poor) recorded at the same time on Friday, April 3, 2026, as per Central Pollution Control Board (CPCB) data.

According to CPCB standards, an AQI of 0-50 is considered ‘good’, 51-100 ‘satisfactory’, 101-200 ‘moderate’, 201-300 ‘poor’, 301-400 ‘very poor’ and 401-500 ‘severe’.

The average maximum temperature in Punjab fell by 0.7°C compared to a day ago, remaining 2.6 degrees below normal. In Haryana, it remained 1.8°C below normal, with a decrease of 0.9 degrees.

Rainfall was recorded in Pathankot, Rupnagar, Amritsar, Fazilka, Ferozepur in Punjab, as well as Mahendragarh and Yamunanagar in Haryana.

IMD said on Saturday, April 4, 2026, that rainfall and strong winds were recorded in some parts of Rajasthan in the last 24 hours due to cyclonic circulation and more storm and hail activity is predicted for the region in the coming days.

“A new strong western disturbance is likely to become active over parts of Jodhpur and Bikaner divisions during the afternoon of April 6, leading to high chances of thunderstorms and rainfall in some areas,” the IMD said.

The impact of the hurricane is expected to reach its peak on April 7. “During their activity, strong thunderstorms, gusty winds of 50-60 km per hour, moderate to heavy rainfall and isolated hailstorms are likely to occur in some parts of Jodhpur, Bikaner, Ajmer, Jaipur, Bharatpur and Kota divisions.” “Farmers are advised to shift harvested crops and grains kept in open areas to safe storage to prevent damage from rain and hail,” the meteorological office said. he said.

Former Rajasthan Chief Minister Ashok Gehlot has sought urgent financial assistance for farmers affected by unseasonal rain and hailstorms in some parts of the state, saying the damage has led to a crisis for farmers.

“Unseasonal rain and hailstorms in some parts of the state have brought disaster to farmers. While wheat and isabgol crops were damaged in Bikaner division, crops like isabgol, cumin, wheat and fennel suffered heavy losses in Nagaur,” he said.

Temperatures are likely to remain below normal or near normal in most parts of the country in the next few days, the IMD said on Friday, April 3, 2026.

In March, eight western disturbances were reported to affect the country, compared to the usual five or six.