NEW DELHI: The rapid rise in heat in the first half of March, leading to the spectre of an early and long summer in north India, appears to have halted for at least the next two weeks. While an ongoing weather system is bringing rain to north India, two more are expected to impact the region this month, ensuring that temperatures remain normal to below normal, the met department said.The wet spell, which began around March 14 with a western disturbance, marks a sudden turn in the weather after a particularly dry winter in the region and high temperatures since mid-Feb. It’s bringing not just rain but also much needed snow in the higher hills ahead of summer. Among other things, the forest fire season in Uttarakhand and Himachal Pradesh is expected to be pushed back by weeks. Delhi is set to experience the unusual likelihood of the second half of March being cooler than the first.There’s an ongoing western disturbance that’s going to impact northwest India till around March 21. Another active western disturbance is likely to start impacting the region from around March 23 and a third one from around March 27. We expect temperatures to be in the normal to below-normal range. The heatwaves have subsided,” said Mrutyunjay Mohapatra, chief of India Meteorological Department.If IMD’s forecast of two more active WDs affecting north India holds true, it would take the number of these wet-weather systems in the second half of March to four. The current WD caused widespread rain and snow, is expected to continue impacting the region for the next two-three days.The chill has returned in the hilly regions, which bear the maximum impact of the weather disturbances.The maximum temperature in Srinagar dropped from 19.4 degrees C on March 14 to a forecasted 11 degrees C on Wednesday as fresh snow-fall in Gulmarg and Sonamarg brought unexpected bonanza for tourists. Last month, Srinagar had logged its warmest Feb on record.The higher reaches of Himachal recorded fresh snowfall while the low and midhills saw light to moderate rain. An alert has been issued for heavy rain and snow on Thursday. Tabo in Lahaul Spiti recorded a minimum temperature of -2.8 degrees C.In Delhi, the day temperature had on March 11 hit a peak of 36.8 degrees C, 8.4 notches above normal. By March 15, the maximum had dropped to 30.1 degrees C. It’s expected to dip to around 27 degrees C by Friday.
