Government of India

Ministry of Earth Sciences

India Meteorological Department

Press Release
Date: 26thDecember, 2024
Time of Issue: 1315 hours IST

Subject: A Western Disturbance and its interaction with easterly winds is very likely to cause light to
moderate rainfall/thunderstorm accompanied with hailstorm over Northwest & Central India
on 27th & 28th December, 2024.

i. Realised weather during past 24 hours till 0830 hours IST of today (Annexure I)
❖ Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions observed in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh; Cold wave in
isolated pockets of Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Punjab.
❖ Cold day observed in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh and West Rajasthan.
❖ Very dense fog (visibility < 50 m) reported in isolated pockets of Haryana; dense fog (visibility 50-200 m)
reported in isolated pockets of Delhi, Rajasthan, Meghalaya and Manipur.
❖ Visibility reported (≤ 200 m) (in meter): Haryana: Sirsa <50; West Rajasthan: Churu 50; East
Rajasthan: Pilani 50; Meghalaya: Barapani 50; Delhi: Safdarjung 100; Manipur: Imphal 100;
❖ Heavy rainfall recorded at isolated places over Odisha.

Weather Systems, Forecast and warning (Annexure II & III):

❖ Yesterday’s well marked low pressure area over Southwest and adjoining Westcentral Bay of Bengal off South
Andhra Pradesh- North Tamil Nadu coasts moved westwards and weakened into a low pressure area over the same
region at 0530 hrs IST of today and become less marked at 0830 hrs IST of today, the 26th December. However, the
associated cyclonic circulation persisted over the same area at lower tropospheric levels.
❖ Under the influence of these systems:
✓ Light to moderate rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning very likely at isolated places with heavy
rainfall at isolated places over Coastal Andhra Pradesh on 26th December.
✓ Light to moderate rainfall at a few places accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning over Tamil Nadu,
Puducherry & Karaikal on 26th & 27th December.

❖ A Western disturbance seen as a trough in middle tropospheric westerlies runs roughly along Long. 60°E to the
north of Lat. 30°N. It is very likely to interact with lower levels easterly winds over central parts of the country
leading to high moisture feeding from Arabian Sea as well as Bay of Bengal mainly during 27th & 28th December.
Under the influence of these systems:

✓ Scattered to Fairly widespread Rainfall/Snowfall is likely over Western Himalayan Region on 27th & 28th
December.
✓ Isolated to Scattered rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm, lightning & gusty winds (wind speed 30-50 kmph)
likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar Pradesh, East Rajasthan, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada
on 27th, Madhya Pradesh on 27th & 28th; Isolated to Scattered rainfall accompanied with thunderstorm & lightning
also likely over northwest Madhya Pradesh on 26th, West Rajasthan, Gujarat region on 27th, East Uttar Pradesh,
Vidarbha, Chhattisgarh on 27th & 28th, West Uttar Pradesh on 28th December.
✓ Thunderstorm accompanied with hailstorms also likely over Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, West Uttar
Pradesh, Rajasthan, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada & Gujarat Region on 27th and Madhya
Pradesh on 27th & 28th December.

ii. Temperature, Cold Wave and Fog Forecast:

Temperature Conditions during past 24 hours till 0830 hours IST of today (Annexure IV):
❖ Minimum temperatures were below 0°C over many parts of Jammu, Kashmir & Ladak; 2-5°C over plains of
Uttarakhand & Himachal Pradesh; 5-12°C over Northwest, Northeast India and Bihar; 12-18°C over many parts
of Central, West & East India. Today, the lowest minimum temperature of 5.0°C is reported at Churu (West
Rajasthan) over the plains of the country.
 ❖ There has been a rise by 1-2⁰C in minimum temperature over some parts of Rajasthan, Saurashtra & Kutch,
Maharashtra & Tamil Nadu and fall by 1-2⁰C over some parts of Uttar Pradesh during past 24 hours.
❖ Minimum temperatures are appreciably below normal (-3°C to -5°C) at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-
Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad; below normal (-1°C to -3°C) at a few places over Lakshadweep and
above normal by 4-6°C at many places over Madhya Pradesh, East Rajasthan, East Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, Odisha,
Telangana, Rayalaseema, Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Maharashtra.

Forecast of temperature:
❖ Rise in minimum temperatures by about 2°C likely over Northwest India during next 3 days and gradual fall by 2-3°C
thereafter.
❖ No significant change in minimum temperatures likely over Central India during next 3 days and fall by 2-4°C
thereafter.
❖ No significant change in minimum temperatures likely over East India during next 5 days.
❖ Rise in minimum temperatures by 2-3°C likely over West India during next 2 days and gradual fall by 2-3°C thereafter.

Cold Wave Warnings:

Cold wave to severe cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh on 26th December.
Cold wave conditions very likely in isolated pockets over Himachal Pradesh on 29th & 30th, Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-
Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad on 26th, 29th & 30th December.

Cold Day Warnings:

Cold day to severe cold day conditions very likely in some parts of Himachal Pradesh on 28th December.
Cold Day conditions very likely in some parts of Himachal Pradesh on 27th and in isolated pockets of West Rajasthan
on 26th December.

Dense Fog Warnings:

Dense fog conditions very likely to prevail during late night/early morning hours in isolated pockets of Himachal
Pradesh on 26th, 27th & during 29th – 31st, Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh during 26th-31st, Assam & Meghalaya during
26th-28th, Odisha on 26th & 27th, Rajasthan during 28th-31st December.

Ground Frost Warnings:

Ground Frost conditions very likely in isolated pockets of Himachal Pradesh on 26th, 29th & 30th December.

Fishermen Warnings (Annexure V):

Fishermen are advised not to venture into southwest Bay of Bengal and adjoining parts of westcentral Bay of Bengal,
along and off North Tamil Nadu coast and Andhra Pradesh Coast on 26th December.

iii. Weather conditions and forecast over Delhi/NCR during 26th to 29th Dec. 2024 (Annexure VI)

For more details, kindly refer National Weather Bulletin:

https://mausam.imd.gov.in/responsive/all_india_forcast_bulletin.php
For District wise warnings refer: https://mausam.imd.gov.in/responsive/districtWiseWarningGIS.php

ANNEXURE I

Significant Rainfall recorded during past 24 hours till 0830 hours IST of today 26.12.2024 (in cm):

❖ Odisha: Narla (Kalahandi) 8, Koksara (Kalahandi) 7, Bhawanipatna (Kalahandi) 7, Junagarh (Kalahandi) 6, Banki
(Cuttack) 6, Chilika (Khurda) 6, Th Rampur (Kalahandi) 6, Kalampur (Kalahandi) 6, Belaguntha (Ganjam) 6, Tangi
(Khurda) 6
 ANNEXURE II

7 Days Rainfall Forecast

26- 27- 28- 29- 30- 31- 01-
S. Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Dec Jan
Subdivision
No. Day
Day 1 Day 2 Day 3 Day 4 Day 5 Day 6
7
1 ANDAMAN & NICOBAR ISLANDS ISOL SCT FWS FWS FWS SCT SCT
2 ARUNACHAL PRADESH DRY DRY DRY ISOL ISOL DRY DRY
3 ASSAM & MEGHALAYA DRY DRY DRY DRY ISOL DRY DRY
4 NAGALAND, MANIPUR, MIZORAM & TRIPURA DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
5 SUB-HIMALAYAN WEST BENGAL & SIKKIM DRY DRY ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY
6 GANGETIC WEST BENGAL DRY DRY ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
7 ODISHA ISOL DRY ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY
8 JHARKHAND DRY DRY ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY
9 BIHAR DRY ISOL SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY
10 EAST UTTAR PRADESH DRY ISOL SCT DRY DRY DRY DRY
11 WEST UTTAR PRADESH DRY SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
12 UTTARAKHAND DRY ISOL FWS DRY DRY DRY DRY
13 HARYANA CHANDIGARH & DELHI DRY FWS ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
14 PUNJAB DRY SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
15 HIMACHAL PRADESH DRY FWS FWS ISOL DRY DRY ISOL
16 JAMMU & KASHMIR AND LADAKH DRY ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
17 WEST RAJASTHAN ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
18 EAST RAJASTHAN ISOL FWS ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
19 WEST MADHYA PRADESH ISOL FWS SCT DRY DRY DRY DRY
20 EAST MADHYA PRADESH ISOL SCT FWS ISOL DRY DRY DRY
21 GUJARAT REGION ISOL SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
22 SAURASHTRA & KUTCH ISOL ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY
23 KONKAN & GOA ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
24 MADHYA MAHARASHTRA ISOL SCT ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY
25 MARATHAWADA ISOL SCT ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY
26 VIDARBHA DRY SCT SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY
27 CHHATTISGARH ISOL ISOL SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY
28 COASTAL ANDHRA PRADESH & YANAM ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
29 TELANGANA SCT ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
30 RAYALASEEMA ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
31 TAMILNADU PUDUCHERRY & KARAIKAL SCT SCT ISOL ISOL ISOL SCT SCT
32 COASTAL KARNATAKA DRY ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
33 NORTH INTERIOR KARNATAKA ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
34 SOUTH INTERIOR KARNATAKA ISOL ISOL DRY DRY DRY DRY DRY
35 KERALA & MAHE ISOL SCT ISOL ISOL ISOL ISOL ISOL
36 LAKSHADWEEP DRY SCT SCT DRY DRY SCT SCT

• As the lead period increases forecast accuracy decreases

ANNEXURE III
• Action may be taken based on ORANGE AND RED COLOUR warnings.
• Vulnerable regions likely urban and hilly areas action may be initiated for heavy rainfall warning.
• As the lead period increases forecast accuracy decreases.
 ANNEXURE IV

Fig. 1: Maximum Temperatures Fig. 2: Departure of Maximum Temperatures

Fig. 3: Minimum Temperatures Fig. 4: Departure of Minimum Temperatures

ANNEXURE V
 ANNEXURE VI

Weather forecast over Delhi/NCR during 26th Dec. to 29th Dec. 2024

Past Weather:

There has been a slight fall in minimum temperature over Delhi/NCR during past 24hr. The Maximum and Minimum
temperature over Delhi is in the range of 20 to 23°C and 08 to 09°C respectively. The minimum temperature was
above normal upto 01°C and maximum temperature was above normal upto 01 to 03°Cover most places. Dense fog
reported at Safdarjung airport. Safdarjung airport recorded lowest visibility 100 m during 0730 hours to 0800 hours
IST which improved thereafter becoming 400 m at 0830 hours IST. Palam airport recorded lowest visibility 300 m
during 0730 hours to 0800 hours IST which improved thereafter becoming 400m at 0830 hours IST. Mainly smog/
dense fog condition with predominant surface wind from west direction with wind speed reaching 04 to 10 kmph
prevailed past 24hr. Mainly smog condition with wind speed less than 04 kmph variable direction prevailed over the
region in the forenoon today.

Weather Forecast:

26.12.2024: Partly cloudy sky with possibility of very light to light rain towards evening/night. The predominant surface
wind is likely to be variable direction with wind speed less than 06 kmph till evening. It would decrease thereafter becoming
less than 04 kmph from variable direction during night. Smog/shallow fog is likely in the evening/night.

27.12.2024: Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain/thunderstorm accompanied with lighting and gusty winds (speed
30-40 kmph). The predominant surface wind is likely to be from northeast direction with speed less than 04 kmph during
morning hours. Smog/ moderate fog is likely in the morning. The wind speed will increase thereafter becoming less than 12
kmph from variable direction during afternoon. It will decrease thereafter becoming less than 04 kmph from northeast
direction during evening and night. Smog/shallow fog is likely in the evening/night.

28.12.2024: Generally cloudy sky. Light to moderate rain/thunderstorm. The predominant surface wind is likely to be from
northeast direction with speed less than 04 kmph during morning hours. Smog/ shallow fog in most of the places and
moderate fog in isolated places is likely in the morning. The wind speed will gradually increase becoming 04-06 kmph from
variable direction during afternoon. It will decrease thereafter becoming less than 04 kmph from northwest direction during
evening and night. Smog/shallow fog is likely in the evening/night.

29.12.2024: Mainly clear sky. The predominant surface wind is likely to be from north direction with wind speed less than
04 kmph during morning hours. Smog/ moderate fog in most of the places and dense fog in isolated places is likely in the
morning. The wind speed will increase thereafter becoming 06-08 kmph from northwest direction during afternoon. It will
gradually decrease becoming less than 04 kmph from northwest direction during evening and night. Smog/shallow fog is likely
in the evening/night.

Impact expected and action suggested due to thunderstorm with lightning & Hailstorm.

Impact expected:
❖ Strong wind/hail may damage plantation, horticulture and standing crops.
❖ Hail may injure people and cattle at open places.
❖ Partial damage to vulnerable structures due to strong winds.
❖ Minor damage to kutcha houses/walls and huts.
❖ Loose objects may fly.

Action suggested:
❖ Stay indoors, close windows & doors and avoid travel if possible.
❖ Take safe shelters; do not take shelter under trees.
❖ Do not lie on concrete floors and do not lean against concrete walls.
❖ Unplug electrical/ electronic appliances.
❖ Immediately get out of water bodies.
❖ Keep away from all the objects that conduct electricity.

Impact expected due to dense/very dense fog in the night /morning hour:
❖ Transport and Aviation:
• May affect some airports, highways and railway routes in the areas of met- sub-division.
• Difficult driving conditions with slower journey times.
 • Unless taken precautionary measures, it may lead to some road traffic collisions.
❖ Power Sector:
• Chances of Tripping of Power lines in the very dense fog routes.
❖ Human Health:
• Lung related health impacts: Dense fog contains particulate matter and other pollutants and in case exposed it gets
lodged in the lungs, clogging them and decreasing their functional capacity which increases episodes of wheezing,
coughing and shortness of breath.
• Impact on people having asthma bronchitis: Long time exposure to dense fog may cause respiratory problem for
people having asthma bronchitis and other lung related health problems.
• Eye Irritation: Dense fog contains pollutions of various types and these Pollutants in the air if exposed may tend to
irritate the membranes of the eye causing various infections leading to redness or swelling of the eye.

Action suggested:
❖ Transport and Aviation:
• Be careful while driving or outing through any transport.
• Use fog lights during driving.
• Be in touch with airlines, railways and state transport for schedule of your journey.
❖ Power Sector:
• To keep ready Maintenance Team.
• Human Health: To avoid outing until unless emergency and to cover the face.

Impact expected due to cold wave/severe cold wave conditions

• An increased likelihood of various illnesses like flu, running/ stuffy nose or nosebleed, which usually set in or get
aggravated due to prolonged exposure to cold.
• Do not ignore shivering. It is the first sign that the body is losing heat. Get Indoors.
• Frostbite can occur due to prolonged exposure to cold. The skin turns pale, hard and numb and eventually black
blisters appear on exposed body parts such as fingers, toes, nose and or earlobes. Severe frostbite needs immediate
medical attention and treatment.
• Impact on agriculture, crop, livestock, water supply, transport and power sector at some places.

Action suggested:
• Wear several layers of loose fitting, light weight; warm woollen clothing.
• Cover your head, neck, hands and toes adequately as majority of heat loss occurs through these body parts. Wear
several layers of loose fitting, light weight; warm woollen clothing rather than one layer of heavy cloth.
• Eat vitamin-C rich fruits & vegetable and drink sufficient fluids preferably warm fluids to maintain adequate
immunity.
• Avoid or limit outdoor activities.
• Keep dry, if wet, change cloths immediately to prevent loss of body heat. Wear insulated/waterproof shoes.
• Warm the affected area of the body slowly with lukewarm water; do not rub the skin vigorously.
• If the affected skin area turns black, immediately consult a doctor.
• Maintain ventilation while using Heaters to avoid inhaling toxic fumes.
• Take safety measures while using electrical and gas heating devices.
• Extreme care needed for vulnerable people.
• Seek medical attention as soon as possible for someone suffering from frostbite/ Hypothermia.
• Protect livestock from cold weather.

Agromet advisories for Heavy Rainfall / Cold Wave likely over various parts of the country

➢ Use hail nets to protect orchards and vegetable plants in Punjab, Haryana, West Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Madhya
Pradesh, Vidarbha, Madhya Maharashtra, Marathwada and Gujrat region.
➢ Provide mechanical support to horticultural crops and staking to vegetables.
➢ Drain out excess water from rice, green gram, black gram, mustard, vegetables and other standing crop fields in Odisha
and make necessary arrangements to drain out excess water from rice nurseries, green gram, black gram, sesame and
other standing crop fields and vegetables in Coastal Andhra Pradesh.
➢ Keep the harvested produce in safer places or cover the produce with tarpaulin sheets in the fields.
➢ In Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh, apply light and frequent irrigation to the standing crops in the evening to
protect them from low temperature stress or cold injuries. Use mulching and cover vegetable nurseries and young fruit
plants with straw/polythene sheets to maintain optimum soil temperature.
Livestock and Fishery
➢ Keep the animals inside the shed during heavy rainfall/ hailstorms and provide them with balanced feed.
➢ Store feed and fodder in a safe place to prevent spoilage.
➢ Construct an outlet with proper netting around the pond to drain out excess rain water, thereby preventing
fishes/fingerlings from escaping in case of overflowing.
➢ To protect from cold, keep cattle inside the sheds during night and provide dry bedding. Also keep the chicks warm by
providing artificial light in the poultry sheds.

Legends & abbreviations:

❖ Heavy Rain:64.5-115.5mm; Very Heavy Rain:115.6-204.4mm; Extremely Heavy Rain: >204.4mm.

❖ Obsy: Observatory; AWS: Automatic Weather Station; ARG: Automatic Rain Gauge; dist: District: NH: National Highway;
KVK: Krishi Vigyan Kendra; DVC: Damodar Valley Corporation; PTO: Part Time Office, Aero: Aerodrome, IAF: Indian
Air Force.
❖ Region wise classification of meteorological Sub-Divisions:
• Northwest India: Western Himalayan Region (Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad, Himachal
Pradesh and Uttarakhand); Punjab, Haryana-Chandigarh-Delhi; West Uttar Pradesh, East Uttar Pradesh, West
Rajasthan and East Rajasthan.
• Central India: West Madhya Pradesh, East Madhya Pradesh, Vidarbha and Chhattisgarh.
• East India: Bihar, Jharkhand, Sub-Himalayan West Bengal & Sikkim; Gangetic West Bengal, Odisha and Andaman &
Nicobar Islands.
• Northeast India: Arunachal Pradesh, Assam & Meghalaya and Nagaland, Manipur, Mizoram & Tripura.
• West India: Gujarat Region, Saurashtra & Kutch, Konkan & Goa, Madhya Maharashtra and Marathawada.
• South India: Coastal Andhra Pradesh & Yanam, Telangana, Rayalaseema, Coastal Karnataka, North Interior
Karnataka, South Interior Karnataka, Kerala & Mahe, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry & Karaikal and Lakshadweep.