Unexpected snowfall takes several lives in Pakistan, Afghanistan; Northwest India shivers in March

Pakistan, Afghanistan and parts of northwest India are experiencing an unusually cold March. Heavy rains and unexpected snowfall hit remote areas of Pakistan over the weekend, killing at least 35 people and injuring many.

Among the fatalities, there were 22 children, crushed underlandslides that destroyed their houses. According to the disaster management authorities, the harsh weather conditions in Pakistan's northern and western regions blocked several roads and buried hundreds of homes.

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In Afghanistan, at least 39 people died and more than 30 suffered injuries across different provinces as heavy showers and snowfall hit several regions.

The sudden snowfall typically has shocked weather experts as weather in Pakistan is usually mild in March.

Mushtaq Ali Shah, a former director of Pakistan's meteorological department, connected the abnormal weather conditions to climate change.

A westerly disturbance has been moving across Afghanistan, Pakistan and northwest India in the last few days, making the region colder than expected. Many places in these regions are experiencing heavy snow and torrential rains.

In a weekly forecast, Pakistan's meteorological department said that most parts of the country will have "mainly cold and dry weather, while some parts of Balochistan and Kashim could expect "snowfall over hills".

While summer has already arrived in India's southern parts, hot weather seems to be taking its sweet time to reach the northern half of the country.

Northwest India Weather Forecast

In northwest India, March generally serves as a transition period, allowing people to ease into the fiery depths of the Indian summer after winter.

However, this year, regions like Punjab, Haryana, Chandigarh, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh and some parts of Madhya Pradesh and Gujarat, might witness daytime temperatures hover at four to eight degrees Celsius below normal until Thursday (Mar 7).

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The India Meteorological Department (IMD) stated in a weather forecast, "A Western Disturbance as a trough in middle tropospheric westerlies runs roughly along Long 60 degree East to the north of Lat 30 degrees North. Under its influence; isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall/snowfall likely over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Mazaffarabad, Himachal Pradesh and isolated rainfall/snowfall likely over Uttarakhand during 06th-07th March 2024."

IMD has also warned that thunderstorms and lightning are very likely at isolated places over Jammu-Kashmir-Ladakh-Gilgit-Baltistan-Muzaffarabad and Himachal Pradesh.

In Delhi, the country's national capital, people woke up to chill in the air on Wednesday as the minimum temperature dropped to nine degrees Celsius in the last 24 hours.

IMD has predicted a partly cloudy sky over the next few days with minimum temperature ranging between 10 to 13 degrees Celsius. Furthermore, the maximum temperature will remain between 23 to 30 degrees Celsius.

(With inputs from agencies)