Severe weather conditions continue to impact different parts of India, with dense fog and fresh snowfall gripping Kashmir, fluctuating air quality in Delhi, and intense rainfall warnings in Kerala. An orange alert has been issued for heavy rain in Karnataka as cyclone Fengal has commenced making landfall close to Puducherry. Delhi saw a significant improvement in air quality, with the AQI falling below 300 for the first time in a month. Meanwhile, in Kerala, the Meteorological Department issued a red alert for four districts, warning of extremely heavy rainfall.

Heavy rainfall has been reported across several parts of Tamil Nadu since Saturday morning. Cyclone Fengal, which made landfall on the coasts of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry on November 30, has led to widespread flooding, especially in areas like Cuddalore. As the storm moves westward, heavy rainfall is forecasted for several parts of Andhra Pradesh, including the coastal and Rayalaseema regions. On Sunday, IMD issued warnings for continued severe weather in these areas.

“Heavy rainfall is forecasted for Kakinada and other districts of north coastal Andhra Pradesh, as well as for Nellore in the south coastal region. Heavy rainfall is also expected in several areas of Rayalaseema in the next 24 hours,” said KVS Srinivas, Managing Director of the Cyclone Warning Centre in Visakhapatnam.

Over the next five days, no significant change in minimum temperatures is expected in Northwest and East India. In Central India, minimum temperatures are forecast to gradually rise by 2-3 degrees Celsius over the next three days, with no major change afterward. Meanwhile, in West India, a gradual drop of 2-4 degrees Celsius in minimum temperatures is anticipated over the next three days, followed by stable conditions thereafter.

Dense fog, snowfall grips parts of Kashmir

Dense fog engulfed parts of Kashmir on Sunday morning, with visibility dropping below 50 meters in Srinagar and other areas due to heavy fog. This followed fresh snowfall on Saturday, which caused temperatures to dip below freezing point at several locations. Despite the fog, flight operations at Srinagar International Airport remained unaffected.

The coldest recorded temperature in the valley was at Srinagar Airport Force station, at minus 3.6 degrees Celsius, while Srinagar city registered a minimum of minus 1.3 degrees Celsius. Other regions like Gulmarg and Pahalgam recorded lows of minus 2.6 degrees Celsius and minus 0.3 degrees Celsius, respectively.

The weather forecast predicts partly cloudy conditions with light rain or snow in higher reaches later in the day. From December 2, there is a chance of light rain or snow in scattered areas over the next two days. However, from December 4 to 7, the weather is expected to remain dry, with a possibility of light rain or snow again on December 8.

Delhi’s AQI drops to below 300 after a month 

On Sunday, Delhi’s Air Quality Index (AQI) dropped below 300 for the first time in a month, thanks to dry northwesterly winds and ample sunlight, which helped disperse pollutants. The city’s air quality had remained in the “very poor” (301-400) and “severe” (over 400) categories for the past 32 days. On Sunday, 11 out of 38 monitoring stations recorded “very poor” air quality, while 27 stations reported “poor” air quality. 

The lack of dense fog allowed sunlight to reach the surface, aiding the scattering of pollutants. Sunday also saw a sunny day with a temperature of 27 degrees Celsius, slightly above normal, and humidity ranging from 93% to 63%. The weather department has forecasted moderate fog for Monday in Delhi, with maximum and minimum temperatures expected to reach 27 degrees Celsius and 11 degrees Celsius, respectively. 

Depression from cyclone Fengal weakens

IMD on Monday said that the depression, which is a leftover system from Cyclonic Storm Fengal, was located over the north coastal regions of Tamil Nadu and Puducherry. The system moved west-northwest at a speed of 7 km/h over the past six hours and was positioned at 11:30 pm on December 1 (Sunday). 

“The depression (remnant of Cyclonic Storm Fengal) over the north coastal Tamil Nadu & Puducherry moved west-northwestward at a speed of 7 km/h during the past six hours and was centered at 23:30 IST on December 1, 2024, near latitude 12.2degN and longitude 79.2degE, about 40 km northwest of Villupuram, 70 km west-northwest of Puducherry, about 80 km northwest of Cuddalore, and 140 km southwest of Chennai,” the IMD posted on X.

“It is likely to continue moving west-northwestward and gradually weaken into a well-marked low-pressure area over north interior Tamil Nadu during the next six hours. The remnant low-pressure area is expected to emerge over the southeast and adjoining east-central Arabian Sea off the north Kerala-Karnataka coasts around December 3, 2024. The system is being continuously monitored by the Doppler Weather Radar at Karaikal,” the IMD added.

Red alert issued for parts of Kerala, schools closed

On Sunday, Meteorological Department issued a red alert for four districts in Kerala, predicting extremely heavy rainfall on December 2. The districts of Malappuram, Kozhikode, Wayanad, and Kannur are expected to receive intense rainfall on Monday. Initially, Kottayam and Pathanamthitta were placed under an “orange” alert, but this was later upgraded to a “red alert” later in the day.

The district administrations in Pathanamthitta, Kottayam, and Wayanad announced a holiday for all educational institutions, including professional colleges and anganwadis, on Monday. In response to the heavy rainfall warnings, the Kerala State Disaster Management Authority (KSDMA) has urged residents in landslide and mudslide-prone areas to remain alert and move to safer locations as instructed by local authorities.