Temperatures are likely to remain low for another seven days till March 15 over the northern plains because of the prevailing western disturbances (WD) that are impacting the Western Himalayan region, the India Meteorological Department said on Thursday.

However, the approaching three WDs will not be as intense as the one that impacted the region between March 1 and March 3 and brought widespread rain and snow in the hills, weather department officials said.

WDs are marked by moisture-heavy winds that originate in the Mediterranean region and sweep in from the West before hitting the Himalayan ranges, where it precipitates into snow and rain, leading to colder conditions in the plains.

“Temperatures have been below normal so far and they are likely to remain ‘normal to below normal’ till mid-March, but the WDs are not likely to be as intense,” said M Mohapatra, director general of IMD.

An induced cyclonic circulation has been spotted over southwest Rajasthan and adjoining Pakistan in lower tropospheric levels, the IMD said.

As a result, scattered light/moderate rainfall/snowfall, accompanied with thunderstorms, lightning is likely over Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and isolated rainfall/snowfall over Uttarakhand.

Strong surface winds (25-35kmph) are likely to prevail over the plains of northwest India, except south Rajasthan on March 9-10.

Two WDs in quick succession are likely to affect northwest India again thereafter — the first one from March 10 and the second one from the night of March 12. Under their influence, isolated to scattered light/moderate rainfall/snowfall is likely over Jammu & Kashmir and Ladakh, Himachal Pradesh and isolated rainfall/snowfall over Uttarakhand from March 10-12, and widespread light to moderate rainfall/snowfall with isolated thunderstorm and lightning over the region on March 13 and 14.

Scattered rainfall is expected over Punjab on March 12 and 13, and over Haryana and West Uttar Pradesh on March 13.

A cyclonic circulation appears to be forming over south Odisha in lower tropospheric levels, and isolated rainfall is likely over Odisha, sub-Himalayan West Bengal and Sikkim from March 7-9, over east Gangetic plains, Jharkhand and Chhattisgarh on March 7.

Arunachal Pradesh is also likely to get scattered light/moderate rainfall/snowfall over the next six days, while hot and humid weather conditions are likely to continue over Rayalaseema and Kerala.